Punjab has pushed its Sikhya Kranti (education revolution) into the next phase, with Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, along with former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and AAP Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia, on Thursday launching Mission Samrath 4.0, a flagship foundational learning programme aimed at achieving global excellence in education. The new phase introduces a state-wide attendance tracking system under which parents will receive daily SMS alerts on their child’s attendance, marking a decisive shift towards real-time accountability and stronger learning continuity in classrooms.
Declaring it as the next big leap in Punjab’s Sikhya Kranti, the Education Minister said Punjab, already ranked No.1 in the PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) survey, is now moving from recognition to results by tightening classroom accountability and scaling proven teaching practices. He underscored that CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has raised the education budget to ₹19,279 crore, ensuring funds reach classrooms rather than remain stuck in files, driving visible transformation from basic infrastructure to measurable learning outcomes across government schools.
Highlighting Punjab’s top rank in the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that under the leadership of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government has introduced the attendance tracking system as part of Mission Samrath 2026–27.
He stated, “Parents will receive daily SMS alerts on their child’s attendance, with notifications for every absence, aiming to boost regular attendance, learning continuity and classroom engagement. Any child absent for seven days will trigger a district-level parent contact, while absence beyond 15 days will be flagged to state headquarters. This will ensure both learning continuity and child safety.”
Emphasising the impact of the programme, the Education Minister stated, “Mission Samrath has transformed classroom dynamics. This phase focuses on enhancing teaching quality and accountability through attendance tracking, improved monitoring and sharing the best practices. Our goal is to ensure that every child achieves strong foundational learning.”
Reflecting on his journey, he added, “I’m grateful for this responsibility (being the Education Minister). Earlier, every MLA wanted to be a minister, but never the education minister. For me, it has been a dream job.”
Highlighting the Punjab Government’s investment in education, Minister Harjot Singh Bains said, “CM Bhagwant Singh Mann increased the education budget from ₹12,657 crore in 2021–22 to ₹19,279 crore in 2026–27, the largest allocation for any sector in Punjab. This money isn’t just on paper. It has reached every school. Teachers used to collect donations to repair toilets or buy brooms during past regimes. Now, they say, don’t send grants, we haven’t spent the last one.”
He further underlined improvements in school infrastructure under the Bhagwant Mann government, stating that every senior secondary school with more than 500 students now has a dedicated campus manager, while schools with over 100 students have been provided security guards and sanitation staff, facilities that were once unavailable.
On academic reforms, Minister Harjot Singh Bains said that textbooks now reach students on time, adding, “Earlier, teachers photocopied pages till September or October as books hadn’t arrived. This year, the Punjab Government delivered complete textbooks to every child on April 1, free of cost, like any private school, made possible through meticulous planning and political will.”
Explaining the core focus of Mission Samrath 4.0, he said, “The programme ensures that children in grades 3 to 8 master reading, writing and mathematics.” Sharing a classroom example, he added, “A class 8 student from Gardale village in Ropar said, ‘I passed class 5, but knew nothing. Thanks to Samrath, I can now talk to you with confidence.’ The results are now visible in national data. Punjab has surpassed the national average in foundational learning by 18% in grade 3 and 26–28% in grade 6. That is our real medal.”
Minister Harjot Singh Bains and former Delhi Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia also released the Mission Samrath Compendium, documenting 38 proven classroom practices developed by Punjab’s teachers, which will now be scaled across government schools to accelerate learning outcomes, particularly for students requiring additional support.
Minister Harjot Singh Bains noted that Mission Samrath has already become one of India’s largest foundational learning programmes, covering nearly 12 lakh students and engaging over 70,000 teachers annually, with its level-based teaching approach grouping students by learning level rather than grade, contributing to Punjab’s top rank in PARAKH.
Manish Sisodia said, “Punjab has proven that government schools can lead the nation. Being ranked number one in PARAKH 2024 is testament to that. With Mission Samrath 4.0, the state ensures every child is in school every day and learning well. This is a step towards global excellence.”
He further emphasised the philosophy behind the reforms, stating, “Every child cannot be sent to IIT, but the government’s duty is to ensure that no child falls below the bottom line. Because if a system allows any child to remain beneath that line, the government has failed. A child is not a statistic. A child is hope. And hope cannot be left below the bottom line.”
Highlighting the importance of accountability, Manish Sisodia added, “Across the country, people read speeches of education ministers, prime ministers and chief ministers. But speeches alone do not change lives. Examples do. A parent, busy elsewhere, receives a simple message: ‘Your ward has reached school safely.’ That small act of accountability, that real-time reassurance, is worth more than a thousand grand declarations.”
Secretary School Education Sonali Giri welcomed the dignitaries and said, “We will ensure every student and parent feels proud to be part of government schools. Punjab has set the benchmark, and Mission Samrath will take it further.”
Director SCERT Kiran Sharma, Advisory Board Member of Central Square Foundation Shaveta Sharma Kukreja, and other senior officials of the department were also present on the occasion.
Attendance-Linked Reform to Strengthen Learning Continuity
Mission Samrath, the Bhagwant Mann Government’s flagship programme, follows a focused, classroom-driven approach by teaching children according to their learning level rather than grade, supported by regular assessments to identify gaps, activity-based learning, and continuous mentoring for teachers. Building on Punjab’s emergence as the top-performing state in the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, the Punjab Government has now launched Mission Samrath 2026–27 to move from national leadership towards global excellence in education.
A key feature of this phase is the introduction of a state-wide attendance tracking system under which parents will receive daily SMS alerts regarding their child’s attendance, including notifications for every absence. This mechanism is designed to improve regular attendance, ensure learning continuity, enhance classroom engagement, and build stronger accountability between schools and families, while reinforcing the link between attendance and learning outcomes.
