305 students from govt schools crack JEE main

Chandigarh: A total of 305 students from Punjab govt schools qualified on the first attempt of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2026, marking a 63% increase over last year's 187 successful candidates. Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, education minister Harjot Singh Bains described the achievement as a significant milestone for the state's school education system.He said the govt will organise a special 3-week residential training camp to prepare the qualified students for JEE Advanced, providing focused guidance for the next stage of the examination.Calling the result a matter of pride, Bains said the JEE Mains Phase 1 outcome reflected the impact of the state's ongoing reforms in school education. He attributed the improvement to structured academic support and Punjab Sikhya Kranti initiative, adding that the govt remains committed to further strengthening outcomes in competitive examinations.Highlighting individual achievements, the minister said Bhavishya, a Class XII non-medical student from the School of Eminence, Town Hall, Amritsar, secured 98.182 percentile. He comes from a family with an annual income of around Rs 1.5 lakh, where his father runs a mobile repair shop and his mother works as a tailor.Dilkhush Jha, a govt school student from Bathinda, scored 95.091 percentile. He belongs to a family with an annual income of about Rs 1.2 lakh, with his father working as a labourer and his mother a homemaker.Similarly, Priyanka Sharma, a Class XII Science student of the School of Eminence, Sangrur, secured 96.44 percentile while also preparing for NEET. She comes from a family with an annual income of around Rs 3.5 lakh, where her father is an accountant and her mother is a private schoolteacher.Another student, Harmandeep Sharma from the School of Eminence, Chhajli, Sangrur, scored 98.75 percentile. He belongs to a family with an annual income of around Rs 2.5 lakh, with his father working as an accountant and his mother a homemaker.The minister said 134 of the successful candidates are girls, reflecting increased participation of female students in STEM streams. He said initiatives such as structured 2-year preparation under PACE, free residential coaching camps, regular mock tests, and digital learning support contributed to the improved results.