DW Bureau| Chandigarh: Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Saturday said 305 students from government schools qualified in their first attempt of the joint entrance examination (JEE) Mains 2026.

This number reflects an increase of 63 per cent from last year’s 187 successful candidates, he said describing the achievement as a defining moment for the state’s school education system.

Bains shared that five students from his constituency Sri Anandpur Sahib also cracked the prestigious examination. He announced that the government will organise a special three-week residential training camp to prepare the qualified students for JEE Advance, ensuring they receive focused guidance for the next stage.

“This feat marks a moment of immense pride for our entire school education department. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all our dedicated teachers. The recent JEE Mains Phase 1 results showcased an outstanding performance by the Punjab government schools, with 305 students cracking the competitive engineering exam,” Bains said.

This feat represents a remarkable 63 per cent increase from last year’s 187 qualifiers, he said. 

“Achieving such a significant milestone in just one year is a testament to the transformative power of our Punjab ‘Sikhya Kranti’ initiative. We are committed to further accelerating our progress,” the state education minister said.

Highlighting the human stories behind the numbers, the Education Minister shared that Bhavishya, a Grade 12 Non-Medical student from the School of Eminence, Town Hall, Amritsar, secured an impressive 98.182 percentile despite coming from a family with an annual income of Rs 1.5 lakh. His father runs a mobile repair shop and his mother works as a tailor. “Despite financial constraints, his determination to pursue engineering and uplift his family remained unshaken. With strong school support and disciplined preparation, he achieved outstanding success,” he said.

He further informed that Dilkhush Jha, a government school student from Bathinda, scored 95.091 percentile in JEE Mains. With a labourer father and homemaker mother and an annual family income of Rs 1.2 lakh, he relied on self-study and PACE classes to excel. Similarly, Priyanka Sharma, a science student from the School of Eminence, Sangrur, secured 96.44 percentile in JEE Mains while simultaneously preparing for NEET. Coming from a family with an annual income of Rs 3.5 lakh, she benefitted from PACE classes, mock tests and structured guidance.

The Education Minister stated, “Priyanka Sharma, a Grade 12 Science student of School of Eminence, Sangrur, comes from a supportive family where her father works as an accountant and her mother is a private school teacher. With an annual family income of around Rs 3.5 lakh, she prepared with discipline and consistency, benefiting from PACE classes, regular mock tests and strong academic guidance. Her efforts resulted in an excellent 96.44 percentile in JEE Main achieved alongside her NEET preparation.”

Narrating another success story, the Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains stated, “Harmandeep Sharma, a Grade 12 Non Medical student of School of Eminence, Chhajli Sangrur, comes from a family where his father works as an accountant and his mother is a homemaker, with an annual income of around Rs 2.5 lakh. Aspiring to pursue engineering, he prepared entirely through school support without taking any private tuition, relying on teacher guidance and PACE learning resources. His disciplined preparation resulted in an outstanding 98.75 percentile in JEE Main.”

The Education Minister noted, “Palak Kaur, a Class 12 student of a Government School in Amritsar, comes from a humble background and faced significant personal challenges after losing her father. She is being raised by her mother, a homemaker, with an annual family income of less than Rs 1,00,000. Despite financial hardship and emotional difficulties, she remained focused on her education. Her perseverance resulted in a commendable 90.11 percentile in JEE Main.”

He further said, “Kajal, a Class 12 student of a Government School in SAS Nagar, comes from a modest family where her father works as a supervisor in a private security company and her mother is a homemaker. With an annual family income of around Rs 80,000, financial limitations were a challenge, but her focus on education remained strong. She aspires to pursue Computer Science from IIT Madras. Her disciplined preparation resulted in a strong 92.66 percentile in JEE Main 2026.”

The Minister highlighted, “Pardeep, a Class 12 student of a Government School in SAS Nagar, comes from a modest family where his father works as a labourer in a water cooler factory and his mother is a homemaker. With an annual family income of around Rs 1,20,000, financial challenges were constant. His aspiration is to secure a good job so that his father no longer has to work in difficult factory conditions. His disciplined effort resulted in a commendable 93.11 percentile in JEE Main 2026.”

“We have countless such stories of children from modest backgrounds dreaming of IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and BITS Pilani,” said Minister Harjot Singh Bains, crediting the success to the Punjab Government’s focused interventions, especially the PACE coaching portal that provides free, high-quality preparation support to government school students and narrows the gap for talented children from humble backgrounds.

Looking ahead, the Education Minister expressed confidence that the tally would further rise after the second attempt of JEE Mains. “This is only the first phase result. With the second attempt approaching, I am confident that our final figures will increase substantially and be even more impressive,” he said.