Punjab has emerged as the top-ranked state in the NITI Aayog School Education Quality Index (SEQI) 2026, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said in the state assembly on Thursday while presenting the AAP government's four-year report card on school education.
Participating in a discussion on an education-related resolution, Bains said the state has improved school infrastructure, expanded foundational learning programmes and increased the number of students from government schools qualifying competitive examinations since 2022.
Infrastructure upgrades and classroom reforms
The minister said an assessment carried out after he assumed office in July 2022 found that more than 8,000 government schools lacked boundary walls, 3,200 had non-functional toilets and nearly four lakh students were sitting on the floor during classes.
He said the government has since undertaken infrastructure works worth ₹2,638 crore across 19,125 schools and secured approval for another ₹1,000 crore from the World Bank for further upgrades, taking the planned investment to ₹3,638 crore.
Bains also said textbook distribution timelines have been advanced. According to him, textbooks now reach district headquarters by mid-February and are distributed to schools before the start of the academic session.
The minister highlighted the government's "Mission Samarth" programme, under which students are grouped according to learning levels rather than class grades to improve foundational literacy and numeracy. He said the programme currently covers nearly 12 lakh students and more than 70,000 teachers.
He added that Punjab has introduced artificial intelligence as a core subject from Classes I to XII, describing it as a first among Indian states.
NEET performance and enrolment debate
Bains said the number of students from Punjab government schools qualifying NEET-UG increased from 80 in 2021 to 882 in 2026. He attributed the improvement to the Punjab Academic Coaching for Excellence (PACE) initiative.
He cited examples from Majitha and Dinanagar, where government school students cleared the medical entrance examination, and referred to student Harnoorpreet Kaur's All India Rank of 3,140 as an example of improved academic outcomes.
Responding to criticism over declining enrolment in government schools, the minister said the trend has been witnessed across several states after the Covid-19 pandemic. He cited enrolment figures from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, arguing that Punjab was not an exception.
Bains also referred to the Centre's APAAR ID initiative, saying the unique student identification system has reduced duplicate enrolments and improved the accuracy of education data.
Taking on the opposition, the minister said criticism should be directed at him rather than government schools. He added that the state government aims to make government schools the preferred choice for parents while ensuring schools receive adequate funding without teachers having to arrange resources themselves.
