Historic Milestone: 305 Punjab Govt School Students Crack JEE Main 2026
Chandigarh, February 21
In a landmark achievement highlighting the transformative impact of Punjab’s education reforms under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, 305 students from government schools have qualified in the first session of JEE Main 2026. This marks a remarkable 63% increase from the 187 students who succeeded last year, nearly doubling the number in just one year.
Education Minister Harjot Bains announced the results during a press conference at Punjab Bhawan today, describing it as a historic and defining moment for the state’s school education system. He credited the ongoing improvements in government school quality for enabling children from economically disadvantaged families to excel in this highly competitive engineering entrance exam.
“These results are a proud testament to the dedication of our teachers and the power of Punjab’s Sikhya Kranti (Education Revolution),” said Bains. “In just one year, we’ve achieved such a significant milestone, proving the transformative strength of our initiatives. We remain committed to accelerating this progress.”
The minister highlighted that many qualifiers come from humble backgrounds, including families with annual incomes between ₹80,000 and ₹3.5 lakh, such as laborers, tailors, mobile repair shop owners, and domestic workers. He shared inspiring success stories:
- Bhavishya from School of Eminence, Town Hall, Amritsar (Non-Medical, Class 12), scored 98.182 percentile. From a poor family (annual income ~₹1.5 lakh), his father runs a mobile repair shop and his mother stitches clothes. Despite financial constraints, his disciplined preparation and school support led to this outstanding result.
- Dilkhush Jha from a government school in Bathinda scored 95.091 percentile. Son of a laborer father and homemaker mother (family income ~₹1.2 lakh), he succeeded through self-study and pace classes.
- Priyanka Sharma from School of Eminence, Sangrur (Science, Class 12), achieved 96.44 percentile while also preparing for NEET. From a modest family (annual income ~₹3.5 lakh) with an accountant father and teacher mother, she benefited from disciplined coaching, mock tests, and strong academic guidance.
- Harmandeep Sharma from School of Eminence, Chhajli, Sangrur (Non-Medical, Class 12), secured 98.75 percentile without private tuition, relying solely on school support and peer learning. From a family with ~₹2.5 lakh annual income (accountant father, homemaker mother).
- Palak Kaur from a government school in Amritsar scored 90.11 percentile. Facing personal challenges after losing her father, raised by her homemaker mother (family income <₹1 lakh), her focus and determination prevailed.
- Kajal from SAS Nagar scored 92.66 percentile. From a family with ~₹80,000 annual income (father a private security supervisor, mother homemaker), she aspires to study Computer Science at IIT Madras.
- Pardeep from SAS Nagar achieved 93.11 percentile. Son of a water cooler factory laborer father and homemaker mother (~₹1.2 lakh family income), he aims for a good job to ease his family’s hardships.
Bains noted that five students from his Sri Anandpur Sahib constituency also qualified. He announced that the government will organize a special three-week residential training camp to prepare qualifiers for JEE Advanced, providing focused guidance for the next stage.
Emphasizing gender progress, he pointed out that 134 girls qualified this year, reflecting growing gender equality in STEM fields within government schools.
The minister attributed this success to key initiatives like the PACE Coaching Portal (free high-quality exam preparation), two-year JEE coaching under PACE, free residential camps during summer and winter breaks, regular mock tests, performance analysis, digital learning access, and expert career guidance from Avanti Fellows and leading coaching faculties.
“Punjab’s government schools now lead the nation in such achievements—no other state has matched this level of progress in government school performance,” Bains declared. “This is just the first phase; numbers will rise further with upcoming attempts.”
He congratulated all 305 students, their parents, and teachers, calling it a historic moment for Punjab’s public education system and a clear indicator that quality education is now accessible to every child, regardless of background.
This breakthrough underscores the Mann government’s commitment to education and healthcare as core priorities, which helped Aam Aadmi Party secure a massive mandate in Punjab. By results alone, Punjab stands at the forefront nationally in education standards.
