Rebel AAP MLA’s poser on ‘education revolution’ in Punjab: a reality check

When Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana went public with allegations of teacher shortages in government schools in Maur constituency, his allegations put his own government’s education record under scrutiny. The party suspended him for alleged “anti-party activities and indiscipline”. The Opposition seized on this episode. Beyond the political fallout lies a more practical question: what has Punjab’s much-publicised education revolution changed in its classrooms?

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The government has a record to defend. NITI Aayog’s May 2026 report, School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement, identifies Punjab among the stronger performers in learning outcomes. The government’s response to the findings celebrated the result as evidence of reform. But the report draws on several datasets, including PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, UDISE+ and ASER. It is not simply a league table of states.

There is also some history behind Punjab’s performance. The State recorded the highest numerical score in the Union Education Ministry’s Performance Grading Index for 2019-20, released in June 2021, before AAP came to power in 2022. Punjab shared the index’s highest grade, A++, with four other States and Union Territories. The 2026 NITI Aayog report uses a different framework, so the claim that Punjab moved from 27th to first should not be read as a like-for-like comparison. Its earlier record matters: the State’s progress did not begin with the present government.

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AAP has since made school education a central part of its political identity. Its initiatives include the Schools of Eminence scheme, teacher training, foundational-learning programmes, and larger parent-teacher meetings. Under the flagship scheme, 118 government schools were selected for upgrading. By March 2025, 14 had been inaugurated, while work at another 26 was reported to be complete or nearing completion, according to the Schools of Eminence progress report.

Teachers and school leaders have also been sent for training at institutions in Singapore, IIM Ahmedabad, and the University of Turku in Finland. Mission Samarth focuses on foundational learning, while mega parent-teacher meetings have sought to involve families more closely in school affairs. These initiatives have changed the public conversation about government schools. Their lasting value, though, depends on what happens after the training sessions and inauguration ceremonies are over.