Punjab Budget 2026: ₹19,279 crore Allocated for Education, ‘Sikhiya Kranti 2.0’ Announced

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday proposed 19, 279 crore for the education sector in 2026, 27 while announcing a series of reforms, saying that the state government is redesigning the entire education ecosystem for the next generation.

While delivering the state budget in the state Assembly here, Cheema said that education reforms in Punjab have gone a long way from a promise to a structural transformation.

"During the last four years, we have physically improved the schools, paid attention to the development of basic skills and also made some government schools as centres of excellence, " he added.

"In FY 2026, 27, the reform journey will be at its next phase, consolidation with expansion", said Cheema while proposing a budgetary outlay of 19, 279 crores for the education sector which is a 7 per cent increase over the previous year.

Stressing that every developed nation in the world has risen on one decisive foundation, the quality of education it provides to its children, he said if Punjab is to compete globally, create jobs, attract investment and secure prosperity for the next generation, then education cannot be treated as just another department.

It must be a mission, he asserted.

Under 'Punjab Sikhiya Kranti', we made a bold and historic choice to place education at the very top of the political agenda and support it with unprecedented reforms and investments, he said.

"Punjab's government schools have demonstrated that excellence is not the privilege of a few, but the right of every child. Having secured national leadership, we are now preparing Punjab's education system for global benchmarks, he said.

Cheema said the state government has decided to launch 'Sikhiya Kranti 2.0' initiative to transform our education system with an outlay of ₹3,500 crore, over the next six years.

We have signed a historic collaboration with the World Bank for transforming school education. This represents one of the largest education reform investments in Punjab's history.

This mission will strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy, expand science and commerce streams, empower teachers and school leaders, institutionalize structured career counselling and modernise governance systems, he pointed out.

"Punjab is not merely reforming schools. We are redesigning the entire education ecosystem for the next generation," he said.

This year, ₹690 crore has been allocated to further strengthen school infrastructure, he said.

He said the education department is partnering with experts from reputed coaching institutions to provide structured professional preparation within government schools themselves.

Talent in Punjab will now compete nationally and internationally on equal footing, regardless of income or background. We will continue to invest in ensuring our students have a bright future, he said.

"We are institutionalizing a statewide Career Counselling Framework covering approximately 7.35 lakh students from Grades IX to XII. We will be launching a career counselling support portal for our children to be more informed about jobs and higher education decisions," he said.