Chandigarh, August 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Monday said the state’s education sector has witnessed a major transformation under the Bhagwant Mann government, asserting that education is becoming the defining identity of Punjab.
Speaking during a discussion on a censure motion in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha over paper leaks and protests by students, Bains said the Opposition avoided the debate as it had no answers to the changes brought about in the education sector.
He claimed that Punjab has emerged as the top-performing state in school education rankings, become the first state to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a mainstream subject from Classes I to XII, and recorded 882 government school students qualifying NEET-UG 2026 under the Sikhya Kranti initiative.
Bains said Punjab had not witnessed a single paper leak in the last four-and-a-half years, while attributing recent cheating-related incidents to a technology-based racket allegedly operated by a Haryana-based syndicate.
Explaining the case linked to Baba Farid University of Health Sciences’ pharmacy examination, the minister said the accused had used modified mobile phones, hidden wireless devices and other technology to facilitate cheating.
“This was not a paper leak. This was a technology-driven cheating operation busted by Punjab Police,” he said, while alleging that the issue reflected a failure of systems outside Punjab.
Bains also criticised Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, advising him to address issues in his own state before raising questions about Punjab.
Highlighting Punjab’s historical contribution to education and knowledge, Bains referred to figures including Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Nobel laureate Dr Har Gobind Khorana, fibre optics pioneer Dr Narinder Singh Kapany and semiconductor expert Dr Gurtej Singh Sandhu.
Presenting data on education reforms, the minister said 882 students from Punjab government schools qualified NEET-UG 2026, more than double the 437 qualifiers recorded in 2024.
He said Punjab improved its position in the NITI Aayog School Education Quality Report, moving from 27th position in 2020 to the top rank in 2026.
Bains said Punjab’s AI education initiative would cover 25,172 schools and nearly 31.5 lakh students, with the curriculum prepared after studying international models from countries including Singapore, Finland, the UAE and the United States.
He added that the state’s education budget increased from Rs 12,657 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 19,279 crore in 2026-27, while the government has launched the Rs 3,500 crore Sikhya Kranti 2.0 mission and established 118 Schools of Eminence.
Defending students protesting against paper leaks, Bains described the demonstrations as a movement seeking policy change and criticised attempts to label protesting students as anti-national.
He said he had visited the student protest site at Jantar Mantar and stood with the demonstrators, calling the issue a matter of policy rather than politics.
Bains also urged the Union government to acknowledge students’ concerns and take corrective measures, saying public protests reflect citizens’ demand for accountability from governments.
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