CHANDIGARH, MAY 11 — Punjab has emerged as the top-performing state in school education according to the NITI Aayog Education Quality Report 2026, overtaking Kerala in several critical foundational learning categories. The report indicates that Punjab’s government schools have achieved higher proficiency levels in core subjects and narrowed the gap between urban and rural student performance.
Data from the report shows that Punjab recorded 82% proficiency in language and 78% in mathematics for Class 3, compared to Kerala’s 75% and 70% respectively. Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains stated that these results are the outcome of dedicated policy and execution under the current administration’s “Shikhya Kranti” initiative.
“This honour belongs to every parent, student, and teacher who refused to give up on government schools,” Bains affirmed. He noted that the state’s post-pandemic recovery efforts, specifically through Mission Samarth and the Schools of Eminence program, have produced measurable improvements in student outcomes.
The minister stated that infrastructure upgrades have played a central role in this transition. Currently, 99.9% of government schools in Punjab have electricity, while 99% are equipped with functional computers. Bains also asserted that the student-teacher ratio has reached an ideal 22:1, contributing to a smoother transition rate for students moving from Class 10 to Class 11.
Bains declared that the NITI Aayog report specifically recognized Punjab for bridging the divide between village and city education. He affirmed that the state’s commitment to global training for teachers—including programs in Finland and Singapore—has translated into success in competitive exams, with hundreds of government school students qualifying for JEE Main and NEET.
