Parents to get daily SMS alerts on wards’ attendance, says Punjab education minister Bains

Any child absent for seven days will trigger a district-level parent contact, while absence beyond 15 days will be flagged to state headquarters, says Bains

Parents will now receive daily SMS alerts regarding their children’s school attendance as the Punjab government on Thursday rolled out a state-wide attendance-tracking system under its Mission Samrath 4.0, a flagship foundational learning programme.

Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains

Declaring it as the next big leap in state’s sikhya kranti, education minister Harjot Singh Bains said that Punjab has already ranked number one in the PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) survey and is now moving from recognition to results by tightening classroom accountability and scaling proven teaching practices.

“The education budget has been raised 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,” Bains said adding, “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.”

Explaining the core focus of the programme, Bains said it will ensure that children in grades 3 to 8 master reading, writing and mathematics.

AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia said, “With Mission Samrath 4.0, the state ensures every child is in school every day and learning well.”