Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh

Punjab’s government school students have created a new benchmark in academic excellence by delivering an impressive performance in the JEE Advanced 2026 examination. A total of 59 students from government schools successfully qualified one of India’s toughest engineering entrance exams, marking a significant rise from 44 qualifiers last year — an increase of nearly 34 percent.

Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains congratulated the successful students, their parents, and teachers, describing the achievement as proof of the success of the state’s Education Revolution campaign. He said government school students are now competing on equal footing with candidates from private coaching institutions and producing outstanding results.

According to district-wise data, Patiala emerged as the top-performing district with 11 students qualifying JEE Advanced. It was followed by Sangrur with seven successful candidates. Six students each qualified from Ludhiana, Firozpur and SAS Nagar. Five students cleared the exam from Fatehgarh Sahib, while four each came from Amritsar and Jalandhar. Three students each qualified from Bathinda and Gurdaspur, two from Fazilka, and one each from Rupnagar and Hoshiarpur.

Bains credited the success to the state government's initiatives, including free coaching for JEE and NEET aspirants, modern infrastructure, mock tests, and specialized academic guidance in government schools. He said the results demonstrate that access to premier institutions such as Indian Institutes of Technology is not limited to students who can afford expensive coaching programs.

The achievement is also marked by inspiring stories of perseverance. Priya Bhardwaj, a student of the School of Eminence in Bhagpur Sataur, Hoshiarpur, cleared JEE Advanced despite facing severe financial hardships. After losing her father, she was raised by her mother, who works in a private company to support the family. Priya now dreams of becoming an engineer.

Similarly, Prabhjot Singh from the School of Eminence, Mullanpur, in SAS Nagar overcame economic challenges to qualify the examination. His father works as a daily wage laborer. Another success story is Harsh Madhav from the School of Eminence, Amloh, in Fatehgarh Sahib, who benefited from the free coaching and guidance provided by the government. He aspires to secure admission to IIT Bombay and pursue a career in engineering.

The remarkable performance of government school students is being viewed as a strong indicator of the transformation taking place in Punjab’s education sector and is expected to inspire many more students to aim for top national institutions in the coming years.