In a bold step that could redefine India’s education landscape, Punjab has broken free from the outdated “ratta maaro-paper do” (cram-and-exam) system to usher in a new era of learning. Launching the world’s first Compulsory Business Course across all universities and colleges in Chandigarh on Thursday, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal said the move will transform Punjab’s children from job seekers into job creators. The AAP Chief said India’s current education system has failed to fulfill its fundamental purpose of preparing youth for employment and shaping them into responsible citizens. “If this experiment in Punjab succeeds and expands nationwide, it will prepare our country to compete with China,” he asserted.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia, and Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains were also present on the occasion, marking the beginning of a “new educational revolution” in Punjab.
Addressing the youth, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal stated, “A child studies for 17 years to complete graduation. Seventeen years of one’s life is not a small period — it’s a very significant part of their prime years. After giving 17 years of their life to education, what do we expect from that child? What should be the qualities of the output that comes after 17 years of learning?”
Recalling Mahatma Gandhi’s vision, Arvind Kejriwal said, “Gandhiji had explained that education has three objectives. The first is that the student, after 17 years of study, should be able to earn enough to feed their family. The second is that they should become good human beings and contribute positively to society. The third is that they should become responsible citizens of the country.”
Questioning the present system, he continued, “Does our current education system fulfil even one of these three goals? After 17 years of studying, a student struggles to find a job. They neither teach how to become good citizens nor good human beings. And yet, it also fails to prepare them to earn a livelihood for their family.”
“Our entire education system, which has been in place for decades, was laid down in 1840 by Lord Macaulay. Before he came, India’s education system was one of the best in the world. Every village had a school — a gurukul — and there was no village without one. Teachers were highly respected, unlike today, and in those gurukuls, the children of kings and beggars studied together. Ancient texts like the Ramayana and Mahabharata tell us that all children sat together and learnt the skills needed for life. When they completed their education, they could earn a living — some became blacksmiths, others took up different crafts,” he asserted.
The AAP Chief said, “At that time, India was the most literate country in the world, while England had rampant illiteracy. The British realised that unless India’s education system was destroyed, they could not rule the country. So Macaulay introduced a new system of education, which was never designed to develop India. It was designed to produce clerks for the British Empire, who could assist in running their administration.”
Lamenting post-independence continuity, he added, “Unfortunately, even after independence, we did not change that education system. We are still producing clerks — students who roam around with degrees like B.A., M.A., B.Com., and B.Sc., yet remain unemployed. When I joined politics, I was serving as Joint Commissioner of Income Tax. My batchmates thought I had lost my mind. Many of them stopped talking to me, even though we lived in the same Indian Revenue Service (IRS) building.”
“My wife was also in the IRS, and people would even turn their faces away in the lift, thinking I had gone crazy. But then I entered politics and suddenly became Chief Minister. Now we tell the youth to join politics, to take responsibility for the country — but no one comes forward. Why? Because no one wants to leave their comfortable jobs. No one wants to take risks,” he further said.
Reflecting on this mindset, Arvind Kejriwal said, “This is the biggest drawback of our education system — it fills students with rote learning for 17 years. Memorise, write the exam, move to the next level, then memorise again. They are not ready to take risks, not ready to innovate, not ready to move ahead. This app can change that. It can transform education.”
He stated that we started the Business Blasters programme in Delhi to prepare Class 11 and 12 students for entrepreneurship. Around 2.5 lakh students in Class 12 participated, forming nearly 50,000 teams — each working on a business idea. Many of these children became obsessed with their projects, forgetting everything else. Some made chocolates, some did paintings, others started selling products. This kind of madness, this passion, is what we need. If this app can create that, we will move beyond the exam-centric system that has ruined generations of our youth.
Speaking on changing aspirations, the AAP Supremo said, “Right now, the dream of most students is to graduate and then prepare for UPSC, banking, labour, or railway exams. But, through this app, every person will have their own idea, work on it, and strive to make it successful. This app will help students dream again. It will pull them out of the psychology of exams. The most beautiful part of this app is that marks will depend on how much money students earn. Earn ₹1,000 and get marks. Earn ₹10,000 and get marks accordingly. Earn money and earn marks — it’s wonderful.”
Encouraging a culture of excellence, he added, “We must teach children to strive for excellence in whatever field they enter. For instance, if someone is making coffee, they should aim to produce the best coffee in the country — not just enough to make a living. Their mission should be to create the best brand in their field. People of Punjab are born entrepreneurs. There’s a joke that if life ever begins on the moon, the first thing you’ll find there will be a Punjabi dhaba. That’s why Punjab is the best place to test this app.”
Expressing hope for the future, Arvind Kejriwal stated, “I hope big unicorns will emerge from it — companies like Google, Apple, and IBM. But our aim is not just that. Our goal is to create many small successful ventures. The app’s success should not be measured by how many unicorns it creates, but by how many thriving startups emerge through it.”
Discussing its broader potential, he said, “If this app succeeds and is adopted throughout the country, it can prepare us to compete with China. In China, you can take any product specifications or price, and they’ll make it for you. Every street has entrepreneurs. We don’t have that culture here. If this app can create a large number of entrepreneurs, we can compete with China. Of course, we’ll also need to develop infrastructure and improve policies — which we’re already doing in Punjab.”
Explaining Punjab’s progress, the AAP chief shared, “In the past seven to eight months, Punjab has made major progress in strengthening industry — improving infrastructure and reforming policies. But in the end, we need entrepreneurs. Only those who are ready to work and take initiative can bring true progress. That’s why this app holds immense potential.”
On expanding its reach, Arvind Kejriwal said, “Right now, the app is limited to colleges, universities, and some Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). By 2027–28, it will reach all universities. But many children drop out after Class 10 or 12. Those children — who are never even offered jobs — are also entrepreneurs in their own right. A tea seller, a rickshaw puller — anyone who runs their own work is an entrepreneur.”
The AAP Supremo concluded by expressing hope for the future, stating, “If the capacity of such youth in villages can be enhanced in future, to teach them to build better businesses, we can bring prosperity to the entire Punjab through this app. It has revolutionary potential. It has been created with a big dream, and I sincerely hope it fulfils that dream.”
Youth are like airplanes — AAP Govt will provide them with a launch pad to soar ahead in life: Bhagwant Mann
On this occasion, Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that Punjab has presented a new model for the progressive world, one aimed at imparting real and practical knowledge to the people. He said this training will nurture creativity, personality development, and new ideas among youth, paving the way for Punjab to become a hub of opportunities and enterprise. Mann remarked that today, powerful nations of the world are showcasing their strength through innovative apps and ideas.
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated that there is no shortage of talent in Punjab — 45% of Boeing’s engineers hail from the state. “Our youth have excellence ingrained in every field; what they need is the right platform. Students and youngsters are like airplanes, and the state government will provide them the launch pad to move ahead in life,” he said. CM Bhagwant Singh Mann added that he will not rest until every student in Punjab achieves their dreams. Urging youth to remain humble and hardworking even after attaining great success, he reaffirmed that the Punjab Government is fully committed to the state’s development and the prosperity of its people.
The Punjab CM said that hard work is the only road to success, and the government will always support the noble ideas of the youth. The Compulsory Business Course, he said, will play a crucial role in driving Punjab’s economic growth to new heights. “For the first time, an initiative is being undertaken to inspire the youth,” he said, recalling how politics was once treated as a game of deception where people were misled for narrow interests. He pointed out that parents earlier sent their children abroad due to the menace of drugs, and college admissions in Punjab were barely 33%. “But since we took office, that rate has risen to 100%,” he noted.
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann described Punjab’s soil as sacred, fertile, and blessed, saying that every child possesses a unique spark of ideas but never had the opportunity to express it. “With the launch of this entrepreneurship course, our youth will now be able to turn their dreams into reality,” he said. He added that across the world, ideas are driving revolutions — particularly in the age of information technology, where innovation is key. “The time for traditional education is over; now, the youth must learn to think differently to reach new heights.”
India is still a nation of job seekers; we must transform it into a nation of job givers: Manish Sisodia
Senior AAP leader and Punjab Prabhari Manish Sisodia said this is a historic day for Punjab’s education revolution. “The world will soon learn from Punjab,” he said, adding that under the new model, every student will be required to earn two business credits per semester under the Compulsory Business Class Curriculum. “There is no education model anywhere in the world where students must graduate with both a degree and a business idea. This is the first of its kind,” he said. “What begins in Punjab today will tomorrow spread across India, and eventually the world will learn from it. Punjab will lead the next education revolution in the country.”
The AAP Punjab Prabhari said education is essential because good education leads to livelihood. “If education is disconnected from earning, no parent will send their child to study. The true purpose of education is livelihood — this is universally accepted,” he said.
He pointed out that a student studies for 15 to 17 years but is only taught how to take tests, not how to earn a living. As a result, millions of youth across India depend solely on getting a job — mostly from the government. “Every year, 1.5 crore students graduate, but only 15 lakh get jobs, including just 2–3 lakh in government service. What happens to the rest?” he asked. “This Compulsory Business Class Curriculum will bridge that gap. If students take this course seriously, it will guarantee them a path to self-employment and entrepreneurship,” Manish Sisodia said.
