📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Baljinder Kaire
Education
Punjab Tops NITI Aayog School Education Quality Index 2026, Overtakes Kerala
✍️ Sanskriti IAS
🗓 16 Aug 2026, 07:33 PM
👁 15
Punjab has claimed the top spot in the NITI Aayog School Education Quality Index 2026, surpassing Kerala. The ranking highlights Punjab’s progress in educational reforms and technology integration.
The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) released its School Education Quality Index for 2026, ranking states based on multiple parameters such as infrastructure, teacher quality, and digital learning adoption. Punjab emerged as the highest-ranked state, overtaking Kerala which had held the top position in previous editions.
The index, which evaluates 12 key indicators, reflects Punjab’s intensified focus on modernizing schools, expanding digital classrooms, and implementing Mission Samarth and PACE initiatives. Analysts noted that the state’s investment in AI-driven educational models contributed significantly to its improved score.
Kerala’s drop from first place was attributed to a relative slowdown in new infrastructure projects and a lag in technology uptake compared to Punjab’s rapid deployment of smart learning tools. The ranking is expected to influence policy decisions and funding allocations for the upcoming fiscal year.
The index, which evaluates 12 key indicators, reflects Punjab’s intensified focus on modernizing schools, expanding digital classrooms, and implementing Mission Samarth and PACE initiatives. Analysts noted that the state’s investment in AI-driven educational models contributed significantly to its improved score.
Kerala’s drop from first place was attributed to a relative slowdown in new infrastructure projects and a lag in technology uptake compared to Punjab’s rapid deployment of smart learning tools. The ranking is expected to influence policy decisions and funding allocations for the upcoming fiscal year.