3 min readChandigarh, LudhianaMar 17, 2026 05:20 AM ISTPunjab CM Bhagwant Mann during a press conference in Chandigarh. (Express Photo)It is the prerogative of a parent on whether they want to educate their children at a government school or in a private one, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Monday. The CM further said his government only claimed that state-run schools will be at par with private schools.“When did the state government say that private schools will be shut and people should not send their children to study there? What we said is that we will transform government schools on the lines of private schools. It is up to you to decide whether you want your children to study in government schools or private schools,” Mann said.He was responding to a query on an investigation by The Indian Express, which revealed that only one AAP MLA sends his ward to a government school.The Opposition parties accused the AAP government of hypocrisy.Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia said AAP came to power in Punjab promising a Sikhya Kranti (education revolution). “Four years later…irony at its peak: CM Mann mocks convent schools in his speeches… Crores spent on advertisements, press conferences and publicity to promote the so-called education revolution. If the system has truly transformed, why do its own champions hesitate to trust it with their own children,” Majithia asked on X.Read | AAP ‘education reform’ in Punjab: Marked progress but only 1 party MLA sends own kids to govt schoolCongress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira said the investigative report “exposes the hypocrisy” of the AAP, its national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, CM Mann and Education Minister Harjot Bains. “These leaders have no faith in their own much propagated world class education provided by them in Punjab but yet 99.9% prefer to send their children to high end public schools,” he wrote on X.BJP state president Sunil Jakhar said if revolutions came just by changing colours, then the chameleon would be the greatest revolutionary.Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said, “Before coming to power, leaders of AAP repeatedly questioned opposition leaders, asking why their children did not study in government schools…If government schools have truly become the model that was promised, why don’t more AAP leaders show that trust with their own children? Punjabis are not questioning personal choices. They are asking about political honesty.”Story continues below this adBJP leader Fatehjung Singh Bajwa said though parents have every right to choose the best for their children, “but leaders must also be honest, if government schools are truly gold standard as they claim, why their own children aren’t studying there?”Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said the government has focused on cosmetic changes. “Repairing school infrastructure like boundary walls and toilets cannot be projected as an education revolution,” he said.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Bhagwant MannAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...Live BlogIran War News Live Updates: US has hit 7,000 targets, Tehran has been obliterated, says Trump5 hours agoDubai, Abu Dhabi News Live Updates: On the 17th day, as conflict deepens in West Asia, the death toll in the UAE is at seven7 hours agoOscars 2026 Winners LIVE Updates: One Battle After Another wins Best Picture; Priyanka Chopra nods as co-presenter Javier Bardem demands ‘Free Palestine’8 hours agoBihar, Rajasthan Board Result 2026 Date Live Updates: BSEB 12th result date, RBSE 10th scorecards expected soon10 hours agoIndia LPG Gas Cylinder Shortage News Live Updates: Now, police protection for LPG cylinders12 hours ago