Punjab tops NITI Aayog school index after ₹2,638cr facility upgrades
Punjab just took the top spot from Kerala in NITI Aayog's School Education Quality Index.
Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains shared the news, highlighting how Punjab has invested big (₹2,638 crore) to upgrade 19,125 government schools since 2022, with extra support from the World Bank.
The state now delivers textbooks on time and has made major strides in school facilities.
Punjab NEET-UG qualifiers reach 882
Programs like Mission Samarth have helped nearly 12 lakh students learn at their own pace with support from over 70,000 teachers engaged annually.
The PACE program also made a huge difference: government school NEET-UG qualifiers jumped from just 80 in 2021 to 882 this year.
Even so, public school enrollment dipped because duplicate registrations were cleaned up through the Centre's APAAR ID initiative.
Bains encouraged everyone to trust these improved government schools and their ongoing changes.