Archive · 18 Aug 2026
Punjab Minister Details AAP Government’s School Education Reforms
Punjab’s education minister said the state has improved its government schools.
The government says it spent ₹2,300 crore on school buildings and equipment.
It reported building classrooms, toilets, and laboratories.
Schools also received desks, Wi-Fi, interactive panels, and computer labs.
The minister said many students moved from private schools to government schools.
Teachers were sent to Singapore and Finland for training.
Punjab also made artificial intelligence a subject for students from Class I to XII.
The government said it opened special skill schools and limited annual school-fee increases to 5 percent.
Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said the state invested ₹2,300 crore in school infrastructure over four and a half years.
Bains claimed Punjab surpassed Kerala as the top state in school education in the NITI Aayog Report 2026-27.
The government reported building more than 9,000 classrooms and labs, installing over 10,000 interactive panels, and upgrading 5,012 computer labs.
More than 3.64 lakh students reportedly moved from private schools to government schools since 2022.
Punjab introduced artificial intelligence as a core subject from Classes I to XII and opened 40 skill-education schools for students who left after Class 10.
- Who
- Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, the AAP government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and students and teachers in Punjab.
- What
- The minister presented a status report highlighting school infrastructure, technology, teacher training, student outcomes, artificial-intelligence education, and fee reforms.
- When
- The report was presented on August 18, 2026, after four and a half years of the Bhagwant Mann government.
- Where
- Government schools across Punjab, India.
- Why
- The reforms were presented as efforts to improve government education, support students and parents, and bring school dropouts back into education.
- Infrastructure investment
- ₹2,300 crore over the last four and a half years, averaging ₹15 lakh per school, according to Bains.
- Student migration
- More than 3.64 lakh students reportedly shifted from private to government schools since 2022.
- New facilities
- More than 9,000 classrooms and labs were created, and 13,920 toilets were constructed.
- Technology
- Over 10,000 interactive panels were installed, and 5,012 schools received advanced computer labs.
- School amenities
- The government said all schools had functional toilets and Wi-Fi, while 99.9% had boundary walls.
- Competitive examinations
- Bains said 786 government-school students qualified for JEE and 2,166 cleared NEET over four years.
- Fee increase limit
- Annual school-fee increases were capped at a maximum of 5%, according to the minister.