Chandigarh:- With an aim to take Punjab’s education revolution to the next level, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains – former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi and AAP’s Punjab in-charge, Manish Sisodia – on Thursday launched ‘Mission Samarth 4.0’. It is a flagship basic training programme aimed at bringing world-class excellence in education. This new initiative facilitates a state-wide attendance tracking system, under which parents will receive daily SMS updates about their child’s attendance. It symbolises Punjab’s progress towards real-time accountability and creating a consistently positive environment for classroom learning.
Describing the programme as the next big leap in Punjab’s education revolution, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that Punjab – which already holds the top spot in the ‘PARKH’ (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) survey – is now moving towards constructive outcomes by strengthening classroom accountability and adopting proven educational practices. He stressed that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has increased the education budget to ?19,279 crore to ensure that funds reach classrooms instead of getting stuck in bureaucratic files. This will bring about meaningful changes in government schools, ranging from improving infrastructure to academic outcomes.
Citing Punjab’s top ranking in the ‘Parakh’ National Survey 2024, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains highlighted that, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab government has introduced an attendance tracking system as part of ‘Mission Samarth 2026-27’. He added that parents will receive daily SMS notifications about their child’s attendance, and they will also be informed about every incident of absence. The initiative aims to increase regular attendance, instill interest in learning and increase the child’s participation in various activities. If a child remains absent for seven days, parents will be contacted at the district level; however, if the absence exceeds 15 days, parents will be required to contact the state headquarters directly. The measure aims to ensure both continuity of learning and safety of children.
Emphasizing the importance of the programme, the Education Minister said, “Mission Samarth has changed the face of the classroom. This phase focuses on raising educational standards and accountability through attendance tracking, enhanced monitoring and sharing of best practices. Our aim is to ensure that the foundation of elementary education is strong for every child.” Reflecting on his journey to success, he added, “I am very grateful for this responsibility [of serving as the Education Minister]. Earlier, while every MLA aspired to become a minister, very few wanted to handle the education portfolio. However, for me, it has always been a beloved job.”
Highlighting the Punjab government’s investment in education, Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has increased the education budget from ?12,657 crore in 2021-22 to ?19,279 crore in 2026-27 – the largest budget allocation for any region in Punjab. He stressed that these funds have not just remained on paper but have effectively reached every school. “Under previous administrations, teachers were forced to seek donations to fund toilet repairs or buy sanitation supplies; now, however, they tell us, ‘Please stop sending more grants; we have not even been able to fully utilise the previous allocations yet.’”
Further emphasising the improvements in school infrastructure under the Bhagwant Mann administration, he said that every senior secondary school with an enrolment of more than 500 students now has a dedicated campus manager, while schools with more than 100 students have been provided with security guards and sanitation staff. He said such facilities were not available in these schools earlier.
Addressing the ongoing educational reforms, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains confirmed that students are now getting their textbooks on time. He added that, earlier, teachers had to rely on photocopies to complete the syllabus as the textbooks did not reach them until September or October. This year, however – like private schools – the Punjab government has provided a full set of textbooks to every child free of charge by April 1. This achievement has only been possible through the government’s sound planning and political will.
Elaborating on the main objective of Mission Samarth 4.0, he said that the aim of this programme is to ensure that students from classes 3 to 8 acquire proficiency in reading, writing and mathematics. Giving an example, he quoted the words of a class 8 student from village Gardale in Rupnagar: “I had passed class 5, but I knew nothing.
Thanks to Samarth, I can now talk to you with full confidence.” The tangible results of this initiative are now clearly reflected in the national statistics as well. In terms of primary education, Punjab has now surpassed the national average - 18 percent in class 3 and 26-28 percent in class 6. This, indeed, is our true pride.
Minister Harjot Singh Bains and former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia also released the ‘Mission Samarth Collection’. This document describes 38 proven classroom practices developed by teachers in Punjab, with the aim of disseminating these methods in government schools to accelerate learning outcomes and provide additional support to academically struggling students, thereby bringing them to the forefront of academic achievement.