Chandigarh, October 28: In a first-of-its-kind exercise, the Punjab government will host a day-long mock legislative session inside the Vidhan Sabha on November 26, allowing government school students to step into the roles of lawmakers, ministers, and opposition leaders.
Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Kultar Singh Sandhwan said the initiative aims to make students familiar with the functioning of the Assembly and the law-making process. “Students will get to see how laws are debated, how questions are asked, and how governance functions inside the House,” Sandhwan said after holding a virtual meeting with district education officers.
One student from each Assembly constituency will be selected to participate. The participant from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Dhuri constituency will play the role of the Chief Minister, while the student chosen from Qadian will act as the Leader of Opposition. Those from constituencies represented by cabinet ministers will serve as ministers during the session, while students from constituencies of AAP MLAs will take positions on the treasury benches.
The Speaker said only students from government schools in classes 11 and 12 are eligible. “About 2,500 students have already visited the Vidhan Sabha so far, and this initiative will deepen their understanding of democracy beyond textbooks,” he said.
The mock session will be conducted in the same format as an actual Assembly sitting, complete with question hour, discussions, and budget presentations. The move, Sandhwan said, is part of the state’s broader effort to make education more participatory and meaningful.
