Chandigarh: The Punjab government on Tuesday announced that 14,000 new teachers would be recruited for schools in the state for the coming academic session 2008-09.

Education Minister Upinderjit Kaur said recruitment of teachers for various classes has been initiated and appointment letters were being issued to the selected candidates.

Kaur said the process would be completed well before this year's academic session commenced. This will immensely supplement the approximate 55,000 teachers already on the state's rolls.

She said of the 9,998 posts of elementary trained teachers (ETT) advertised recently, appointment letters to 8,856 teachers have been given.

About 4,000 teachers with the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) qualification would be issued appointment letters by April 30, she added.

The minister said that hundreds of teachers were being promoted to the next rank to give impetus to school education.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, speaking at a function in Ludhiana on Tuesday, said that upgradation of 351 senior secondary government schools at a cost of Rs 1.42 billion was being done this year to provide quality education in the science and commerce streams. IANS