Bains: Punjab tops NITI Aayog report, surpasses Kerala in school education

Ludhiana/chandigarhUpdated: May 11, 2026 10:22 AM IST Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains hailed the achievement as the beginning of "Punjab's Era," attributing the success to the Bhagwant Mann government's systemic reforms and infrastructure investments. (File Photo)Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains Sunday said Punjab was recognised as one of India’s best-performing states in school education, with the NITI Aayog Education Quality Report 2026 placing it ahead of Kerala, which is long considered India’s gold standard in school education. Bains said, “This honour belongs to every parent, student and teacher who refused to give up on government schools. This is not a one day miracle. When policy, intent and execution walk together, results follow.”He shared details of the report and said, “Punjab recorded 82 per cent proficiency in language and 78 per cent in mathematics in Class 3, surpassing Kerala’s 75 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively. In Class 9 mathematics, Punjab scored 52 per cent, significantly higher than Kerala’s 45 per cent.” Highlighting the impact of the Punjab Government’s reforms, Bains said, “Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab’s post-COVID 19 recovery push through Mission Samarth and the Schools of Eminence programme has yielded tangible results.” Citing findings from the NITI Aayog report, he said, “Almost 99.9 per cent of government schools now have electricity, 99 per cent have functional computers and over 80 per cent are equipped with smart classrooms. Additionally, over 90 per cent of Class 10 students now transition smoothly to Class 11, indicating a sharp decline in dropout rates. The student teacher ratio has also been improved to an ideal 22:1.” The minister said, “The NITI Aayog report specifically praised Punjab for bridging the urban-rural divide in education and ensuring equal opportunities for students from villages and also girls. Punjab’s adoption of global best practices has led to a sharp rise in competitive exam success among government school students. As many as 786 government school students have cleared JEE Main and 1,284 students have qualified for NEET so far.” Bains also said, “Teacher training programmes in Finland and Singapore, rolled out under the state’s education reforms, have translated into results on the ground. This shows our classrooms can compete with the best. Punjab has recruited 13,000 teachers and staff, and rolled out the English Edge Programme for nearly three lakh students, besides establishing 118 Schools of Eminence.”Story continues below this ad “With the right policy, intent and performance, quality education is inevitable. Our teachers have proved it,” Bains said, noting that, “NITI Aayog has now validated what the state has been seeing on the ground. Government school children are not just catching up, they are leading.” Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said: “We are reaping what we sowed in the education sector. We have started getting positive results. According to the NITI Aayog’s report, Punjab has surpassed Kerala, Maharashtra and Delhi in primary and middle education. Punjab has surpassed Haryana in digital education. We have 80 per cent smart classrooms and Haryana has 50.3 per cent. In Punjab, 88.9 per cent schools have internet facilities, Haryana has 78.9%… I congratulate teachers and parents for this Sikhya Kranti.”