Punjab Overtakes Kerala To Rank No. 1 In NITI Aayog School Education Index
News india Punjab Overtakes Kerala To Rank No. 1 In NITI Aayog School Education Index Punjab Overtakes Kerala To Rank No. 1 In NITI Aayog
News india Punjab Overtakes Kerala To Rank No. 1 In NITI Aayog School Education Index Punjab Overtakes Kerala To Rank No. 1 In NITI Aayog School Education Index Published By, Last Updated: August 06, 2026, 22:43 IST Punjab ranks first NITI Aayog School Education Quality Inde Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains reported significant improvements in school infrastructure, NEET results. Punjab's education minister, Harjot Singh Bains. (File Photo) Punjab has overtaken Kerala to rank first in the NITI Aayog School Education Quality Index 2026, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains told the Vidhan Sabha on Thursday, presenting a four-year report on changes to the state’s school system since 2022. Bains was participating in a discussion on an education-related resolution moved by MLA Prof. Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra. What Did Punjab’s Schools Look Like In 2022? Bains said an initial infrastructure survey after he took office in July 2022 found over 8,000 schools without boundary walls, 3,200 schools without functional toilets, and nearly 4 lakh children sitting on the floor.
He said textbooks previously reached schools only in October-November each year. He said textbooks now reach district headquarters by February 15 and are fully distributed by March 31. NEET Results & Mission Samarth Bains said NEET-UG qualifiers from Punjab’s government schools rose from 80 in 2021 to 882 in 2026, which he attributed to the ‘Punjab Academic Coaching for Excellence’ (PACE) initiative. He cited six NEET qualifiers from government schools in Majitha and 17 in Dinanagar, and named Harnoorpreet Kaur, who secured All India Rank 3140 in her category. He said the government’s ‘Mission Samarth’ programme groups students by learning ability rather than grade and now covers nearly 12 lakh students with over 70,000 teachers engaged annually. He described finding Class 8 students unable to write simple sentences or perform basic arithmetic during school visits in September-October 2022, who were then taught using Class 3-level material. Infrastructure Spending & Enrolment Decline Bains said infrastructure works worth ₹2,638 crore have been carried out across 19,125 government schools, with an additional ₹1,000 crore approved from the World Bank for further upgrades.
He cited a Ludhiana School of Eminence, where ₹18 crore is being spent on upgrades and 17 students have cleared NEET this year. On declining government school enrolment, Bains said the trend was nationwide post-Covid, citing an all-India drop of 1.76 crore students. He said Bihar’s enrolment fell from 2.49 crore to 2.13 crore, Uttar Pradesh’s from 4.44 crore to 4.16 crore, and Maharashtra’s from 2.32 crore to 2.13 crore. He linked the correction partly to the Centre’s APAAR ID initiative, which he said ended duplicate enrolments of single students across multiple schools. Responding to Opposition criticism, Bains said, “Target me personally if you want. Why are you targeting government schools?" He said a false narrative had driven people away from government schools, and said teachers no longer need to seek donations to run schools, unlike under previous governments. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Anoshito Banerjee Anoshito Banerjee is a digital journalist at CNN-News18, specialising in Indian foreign policy, global diplomacy, South and West Asian geopolitics, and strategic affairs.
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