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CHANDIGARH, August 20:
Exposing the BJP’s misleading narrative on Punjab’s government schools, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Thursday called out BJP leaders who were circulating a seven-year-old 2018 video as a current picture to malign Punjab and mislead the public. The Education Minister said he personally visited the Jallah Government School in Fatehgarh Sahib, shown in the video, and found the ground reality had changed completely, with smart interactive panels, functional toilets, a sanitary pad incinerator, clean drinking water and Wi-Fi now in place.
Hitting back with the Punjab’s education record under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led Punjab government, the Education Minister pointed out Punjab had topped the country in PGI (Performance Grading Index) 2.0 and classroom learning outcomes, 882 government school students had cracked UG-NEET 2026, and even Patiala, ranked 23rd in Punjab, had scored higher than BJP-ruled Haryana’s top-ranked Gurugram in the Centre’s NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog survey.
Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that after a video shared on X by BJP National spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari and subsequently reposted by MP Harbhajan Singh came to his notice, he decided to personally verify the claims on the ground rather than relying merely on official reports. “Right after a press conference, I went straight from Punjab Bhawan to the government school, Jallah in Fatehgarh Sahib, the school shown in the video, without informing the school authorities or the District Education Officer. I wanted to verify with my own eyes whether the situation shown in the video actually prevailed and, if so, why it was never brought to my notice,” he said.
The Education Minister said, “The video being circulated is from 2018. The present condition of the school is completely different. Today, the school has two smart interactive panels, two functional girls’ toilets, a working sanitary pad incinerator, clean drinking water and Wi-Fi connectivity.”
The Education Minister said the pending whitewashing work had already been sanctioned and funds released, adding that the work would be completed after the monsoon season.
Countering the criticism with facts, Minister Harjot Singh Bains said Punjab’s education performance should be judged against independent assessments by the Government of India. “Punjab has topped the country in the Performance Grading Index 2.0. The NITI Aayog report released in May this year has ranked Punjab number one in classroom learning outcomes,” he said.
He further cited the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, saying Punjab had emerged as the number one state in the country in education. He said the Ministry of Education’s Project Approval Board had also repeatedly appreciated Punjab’s work in school infrastructure and learning outcomes.
“Political criticism is part of public life, but deliberate attempts to malign Punjab and its schools will not be tolerated. The issue is not Harjot Bains. You can criticise me as much as you want. The issue is Punjab. We will not tolerate attempts to malign Punjab,” he said.
Minister Harjot Singh Bains said Punjab had moved from the narrative of ‘Udta Punjab’ to ‘Pardha Punjab’, pointing out that 882 students of government schools had cracked UG-NEET 2026 in national-level competitive examinations. “Punjab has moved from ‘Udta Punjab’ to ‘Pardha Punjab’. Today, 882 students of government schools have cracked UG-NEET 2026. Punjab’s performance in education is being acknowledged nationally,” he said.
The Education Minister said these achievements were the result of the sustained commitment of the Bhagwant Mann Government towards transforming school education.
Drawing a comparison with neighbouring state Haryana, Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that according to the education-related assessment being referred to, Patiala, which ranks 23rd within Punjab, has a score higher than Gurugram, ranked first among Haryana’s districts. “Patiala, which ranks 23rd within Punjab, has a score higher than Gurugram, which ranks first among Haryana’s districts. This itself shows the progress made by Punjab’s government schools,” he said, urging journalists to independently verify the figures and reports before drawing conclusions about the state’s education system.
Minister Harjot Singh Bains said the Punjab Government had never claimed that every school was perfect and that corrective action was being taken wherever deficiencies were identified. “I have personally inspected more than 2,000 schools. Wherever deficiencies were found, corrective action was initiated. Punjab has around 20,000 government schools and maintaining such a vast network is a continuous process,” he said.
The Education Minister said more than 7,000 schools had faced flooding over the past four years, creating additional infrastructure challenges, but Punjab had continued to make substantial progress in school infrastructure and learning outcomes. “Around 500 flood-ravaged schools requiring restoration have been identified. Restoration work is being taken up and funds are being arranged, including support from the World Bank,” he said.
He said the Government had set a clear target that within the next two years, no government school in Punjab would have any major infrastructure deficiency.
The Education Minister recalled that when the Government had earlier highlighted the lack of basic toilet facilities in schools and initiated corrective measures, it was subjected to political criticism and trolling.
He said the Government had interacted directly with girl students who had spoken about the hardships caused due to the absence of adequate toilet facilities. “Today, those who tried to make a political issue out of our efforts to provide basic facilities have themselves been caught circulating a 2018 video as if it depicts the present situation,” he said.
Minister Harjot Singh Bains said the Punjab Government remained committed to addressing every genuine deficiency and would continue to act wherever gaps were identified. “Journalists and the public should verify videos before sharing them. Punjab’s educational achievements should be judged on verified facts, not misleading social media content,” he said.
