Chandigarh, April 9: Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and AAP leader Manish Sisodia on Thursday launched Mission Samrath 4.0, a foundational learning initiative designed to elevate the state’s education system toward global standards. A central feature of this phase is a new attendance-linked reform that provides parents with real-time SMS alerts regarding their children’s daily presence in school.
The tracking system is intended to maximize classroom engagement and ensure student safety. Under the new protocol, a child’s absence for seven days will trigger contact from district officials, while an absence exceeding 15 days will be reported to the state headquarters. Minister Bains stated that this move transitions the state from mere recognition to measurable results. He noted that the education budget has been increased to ₹19,279 crore under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to ensure that financial resources directly impact classroom learning rather than being delayed by administrative hurdles.
Manish Sisodia affirmed that the government’s primary duty is to ensure no child falls below the foundational learning line. He maintained that a simple message confirming a child’s safe arrival at school provides more value to a parent than grand political declarations. During the event, the leaders also released a compendium featuring 38 best classroom practices developed by Punjab’s teachers, which will be implemented across the state’s 19,000 government schools.
Minister Bains asserted that the infrastructure of government schools has seen a massive transformation, with senior secondary schools now equipped with campus managers, security guards, and sanitation staff. He maintained that the timely delivery of textbooks on April 1 further demonstrates the government’s commitment to matching private school standards. Officials noted that Mission Samrath has already helped Punjab surpass national averages in foundational learning for grades 3 and 6, solidifying its top position in the national PARAKH survey.
