Marking a historic turnaround for government schools in the state, Punjab has been 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, long considered India’s gold standard in school education, on key foundational learning metrics.
Hailing the achievement as the beginning of ‘Punjab’s Era’ driven by systemic reforms and grassroots dedication, Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains stated, “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.”
Sharing details of the report, he said, “Punjab recorded 82% proficiency in language and 78% in mathematics in Class 3, surpassing Kerala’s 75% and 70% respectively. In Class 9 mathematics, Punjab scored 52%, significantly higher than Kerala’s 45%.”
Highlighting the impact of the Punjab Government’s reforms, the minister continued, “Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government’s post COVID pandemic recovery push through Mission Samarth and the Schools of Eminence programme has yielded tangible results.”
Citing findings from the NITI Aayog report, he added, “99.9% of government schools now have electricity, 99% have functional computers and over 80% are equipped with smart classrooms. Additionally, over 90% 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.”
Referring to the report’s observations, Harjot Singh Bains said, “The NITI Aayog report specifically praised Punjab for bridging the urban rural divide in education and ensuring equal opportunities for village students and 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.”Sharing details of teacher training and infrastructure expansion, the Punjab Education Minister stated, “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 3 lakh students, besides establishing 118 Schools of Eminence.”“With the right policy, intent and performance, quality education is inevitable. Our teachers have proved it,” Harjot Singh Bains added, while 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."