NITI Aayog School Education Quality Index 2026: Punjab Overtakes Kerala to Secure No. 1 Rank, Mission Samarth, PACE & AI Education Model

Why in News?

Punjab has claimed the No. 1 position in the NITI Aayog School Education Quality Index (SEQI) 2026, surpassing Kerala. 

Important Point 

• He has presented a four-year transformation report in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
• Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains highlighted major reforms such as Mission Samarth, PACE, Schools of Eminence, AI education from Classes I–XII, and large-scale infrastructure upgrades in government schools.

Punjab Secures the Top Position in the NITI Aayog School Education Quality Index 2026

The Punjab Government has claimed that the state has secured the first rank in the NITI Aayog School Education Quality Index (SEQI) 2026, overtaking Kerala. Presenting a comprehensive report on the government's educational reforms over the last four years in the Punjab Legislative Assembly, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains stated that government schools have witnessed remarkable improvements in infrastructure, quality of education, digital learning, and preparation for competitive examinations.

What is the School Education Quality Index (SEQI)?

• The School Education Quality Index (SEQI) has been developed by NITI Aayog.
• It evaluates the performance of States and Union Territories in the school education sector.
• The index is based on multiple parameters such as Learning Outcomes, Equity, Access, Infrastructure, Governance, and Teacher Management, rather than merely enrolment figures.
• Its objective is to promote Competitive and Cooperative Federalism by encouraging states to improve educational outcomes.

Major Achievements of Punjab

1. Top Rank in NITI Aayog SEQI

• Punjab has claimed the No. 1 rank in the School Education Quality Index 2026.
• Kerala had traditionally been regarded as India's leading state in school education quality.

2. Strengthening School Infrastructure

According to the government, in 2022:

• Around 8,000 government schools lacked boundary walls.
• 3,200 schools had no functional toilets.
• Nearly 4 lakh students were sitting on the floor for classroom learning.

Today, infrastructure upgrades have been carried out in 19,125 government schools across the state.

3. Investment in Education Infrastructure

• ₹2,638 crore has been spent on upgrading school infrastructure.
• An additional ₹1,000 crore has been approved by the World Bank.
• Total planned investment amounts to approximately ₹3,638 crore.

4. Timely Distribution of Textbooks

Previously, textbooks reached schools only in October-November, resulting in a significant loss of instructional time.

Now,

• Textbooks reach district headquarters by 15 February.
• Distribution to all schools is completed by 31 March, before the commencement of the new academic session.

Mission Samarth

Mission Samarth is Punjab's flagship Foundational Learning Programme.

Key Features

• Covers nearly 12 lakh students.
• Involves more than 70,000 teachers annually.
• Follows a Level-Based Teaching approach.
• Students are grouped according to their learning ability rather than their grade level.
• Focuses on ensuring mastery of:
  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Basic Mathematics
  • Foundational Learning Skills

PACE (Punjab Academic Coaching for Excellence)

PACE is a flagship initiative launched to prepare government school students for competitive examinations.

Achievements

• Government school NEET qualifiers increased from 80 in 2021 to 882 in 2026.
• The programme provides free academic coaching and guidance to government school students.

Schools of Eminence

Punjab has established Schools of Eminence to improve the quality of government education.

Objectives

• Modern infrastructure
• Smart classrooms
• High-quality teaching
• Competitive examination coaching
• Career guidance

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education

According to the Punjab Government,

• Punjab has become the first state in India to introduce
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a Core Subject from Classes I to XII.
• The initiative aims to prepare students for the digital economy and emerging technologies.

Significance of APAAR ID

The Government of India introduced APAAR (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry) in 2023.

Objectives

• Provide every student with a Unique Academic ID.
• Prevent duplicate or multiple enrolments.
• Maintain secure digital academic records.
• Facilitate student mobility and credit tracking.

Reasons for Declining Enrolment in Government Schools

According to the Punjab Government,

• The decline in enrolment after the COVID-19 pandemic is a nationwide trend, not unique to Punjab.

Major reasons include:

• Students shifting back to private schools after the pandemic.
• Elimination of duplicate enrolments following the implementation of APAAR ID.
• More accurate reporting of actual student enrolment.

Significance of Punjab's Education Reforms

• Improvement in the quality of school education.
• Increased public confidence in government schools.
• Better performance of government school students in competitive examinations.
• Strengthening Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN).
• Promotion of Digital and AI-based education.
• Ensuring equitable access to quality education.

Challenges

• Increasing actual enrolment in government schools.
• Continuous capacity building and training of teachers.
• Expanding digital and AI infrastructure across schools.
• Ensuring equal quality of education in rural, border, and remote areas.
• Sustaining improvements in learning outcomes over the long term.
• Reducing inter-state disparities in educational quality.

Prelims Facts

• School Education Quality Index (SEQI) – Developed by NITI Aayog.
• Mission Samarth – Foundational Learning Programme.
• PACE – Punjab Academic Coaching for Excellence.
• Schools of Eminence – Model government schools with modern facilities.
• APAAR ID – Unique Academic Identity for every student.
• Punjab claims to be the first state to introduce AI as a Core Subject from Classes I to XII.

FAQs