Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh

Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Tuesday presented the four-and-a-half-year status report of school education, claiming that the Bhagwant Mann-led government has transformed the state's education system through a ₹2,300-crore reform program.

Bains said Punjab has surpassed Kerala to emerge as the top-performing state in school education in the NITI Aayog Report 2026-27, particularly in classroom learning outcomes.

Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, Bains said 3.64 lakh students have shifted from private schools to government schools since 2022, which he described as a reflection of growing public confidence in the state-run education system.

Recalling the AAP's electoral promise, Bains said the party had sought a mandate to improve government schools and claimed that the government had honoured that trust by undertaking large-scale reforms.

₹2,300 Crore Invested in School Infrastructure

Bains said that when the government took office in March 2022, Punjab's school infrastructure faced several challenges, including schools without boundary walls and functional toilets, students sitting on floors and delays in the supply of textbooks.

According to Bains, the government has invested ₹2,300 crore in school infrastructure over the past four-and-a-half years, averaging around ₹15 lakh per school.

He said 13,920 new toilets have been constructed, while 2 lakh desks have been distributed, ensuring that students no longer have to sit on floors.

More than 9,000 classrooms and laboratories have also been constructed, while over 10,000 interactive panels have been installed. In addition, 5,012 schools have been equipped with advanced computer labs, all government schools have Wi-Fi facilities and 99.9 per cent of schools have boundary walls, Bains claimed.

Government schools have also been equipped with sports facilities such as swimming pools, shooting ranges, basketball and tennis courts, kabaddi mats, and wrestling and boxing rings.

Teacher Training and School Security

Bains highlighted the government's teacher training initiatives, saying multiple batches of principals were sent to Singapore, primary teachers to Finland and headmasters to IIM Ahmedabad for professional training.

For better school security and maintenance, ex-Army personnel have been appointed as campus managers in all senior secondary schools. Two security guards have also been deployed at senior secondary schools with more than 500 students.

The government is additionally providing monthly cleaning funds ranging from ₹3,000 to ₹50,000 to schools depending on student strength.

Rise in JEE and NEET Success

Bains said government school students have also recorded significant improvements in competitive examinations.

According to him, 786 government school students qualified for JEE and 2,166 cleared NEET over the last four years.

The number of NEET-UG qualifiers from government schools increased from just 80 in 2021 to 882 in 2026. The number stood at 437 in 2024 and rose to 847 in 2025 before reaching 882 this year.

He added that 361 students qualified for JEE Main, while 64 cleared JEE Advanced.

AI Introduced as Core Subject

Bains said Punjab has become the first state to introduce Artificial Intelligence

as a core subject from Class I to XII.

The Business Blasters programme, he said, provided 2.30 lakh students with practical business experience. Students received ₹29 crore in seed funding and generated ₹3 crore in profits, according to the minister.

The government has also opened 40 dedicated skill education schools for students who dropped out after Class 10, with the aim of bringing them back into the education system.

Fee Hike Capped at 5 Per Cent

To reduce the financial burden on families, Bains said the government has capped annual school fee increases at a maximum of 5 per cent.

Punjab has also introduced free bus services for government school students, benefiting more than 15,000 students every day across hundreds of schools, he said.

Flood-Hit Schools Being Restored

Bains said the education system continued to receive government attention despite devastating floods in 2023 and 2025, which damaged more than 7,000 schools in districts including Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ropar, Ferozepur and Fazilka.

In collaboration with the World Bank, restoration work is underway at 500 severely damaged schools, with most projects expected to be completed within six months.

Bains Sets Two-Year Target

Emphasising his commitment to further improving school education, Bains said he has personally visited more than 2,000 schools across Punjab.

He said the government is working towards ensuring that within the next two years, not a single school in Punjab lacks essential facilities.

“Education is my passion, this is my obsession. Twenty thousand schools in Punjab and I am on a mission,” Bains said, reiterating that education remains the government's top priority.