Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, along with former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia, felicitated more than 300 principals of government schools whose students qualified JEE (Main), JEE (Advanced) and NEET-UG 2026 under the Punjab Academic Coaching for Excellence (PACE) initiative.
The felicitation ceremony was held at Mohali Club in SAS Nagar to recognise the contribution of school heads in mentoring students and strengthening academic performance in government schools.
Addressing the gathering, Harjot Singh Bains said Punjab government schools have achieved another year of remarkable success in national-level competitive examinations. He informed that 361 students qualified JEE (Main) 2026, registering a 35.2 per cent increase over the previous year, while 64 students qualified JEE (Advanced), reflecting a 45.5 per cent year-on-year rise.
Minister also highlighted the sharp increase in medical entrance examination results. According to him, 882 students from Punjab government schools qualified NEET-UG 2026, compared with 847 in 2025 and 437 in 2024, recording a growth of more than 100 per cent in just two years.
Bains said the results demonstrate the impact of Punjab Sikhya Kranti and the government’s efforts to strengthen academic support in government schools. He added that 10 students have secured admission to IITs, 36 to NITs, and more than 90 students to government engineering colleges across the country.
“Punjab government schools are now producing students capable of entering the country’s premier institutions,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of school leadership, Bains remarked that a good principal can transform even a dilapidated building into a temple of learning, whereas the best policies cannot succeed without dedication towards teaching.
Education Minister further informed that the School Education Department organised four large-scale residential coaching camps in June 2026 at Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar and Mohali. Around 3,000 students benefited from intensive coaching, doubt-clearing sessions, mock tests, mentoring and focused preparation for JEE and NEET examinations.
Congratulating the principals and school staff, Bains expressed confidence that they would continue contributing to Punjab’s education transformation with the same commitment and enthusiasm.
Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said teachers are the real force behind educational change. “A building alone does not make a school. Governments can construct infrastructure, but teachers transform it into a place of learning and aspiration,” he said.
Sisodia stated that the Punjab government is focusing on both world-class infrastructure and strong academic support systems, including expert coaching, structured mentoring, continuous assessment and residential programmes, so that students from government schools can compete successfully in national-level examinations such as JEE and NEET.
He added that for lakhs of students, government schools are no longer seen as a compromise but as a gateway to IITs, NITs, medical colleges and better career opportunities.
The event was attended by PDC Member Anurag Kundu, Director School Education (Secondary) S.S. Bal, and other senior officials of the School Education Department.
