Punjab govt trained over 1,700 students for competitive exams: Minister

Chandigarh, Jan 1 (PTI) The Punjab government has trained more than 1,700 government school students for competitive exams such as the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) through its winter residential coaching camps, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said on Thursday.

He said under the Punjab Academic Coaching for Excellence (PACE) programme, a total of 1,728 students attended the camps held at three centres – Bathinda (601), Ludhiana (573) and SAS Nagar in Mohali (554).

The camps were aimed at preparing students from government schools for admission to top institutions such as Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Bains said the initiative reflects the Bhagwant Mann-led government's effort to provide equal opportunities to students from all socio-economic backgrounds.

Students were selected through a multi-stage process based on mock tests, academic performance and teacher recommendations, he added.

Twenty per cent seats at each centre were reserved for students from other government schools and drop-year aspirants. The programme was conducted with support from coaching institutions including Physics Wallah, Vidya Mandir and Avanti Fellows, and included classroom teaching, problem-solving, doubt-clearing sessions and mentoring.

Residential facilities with food, supervision and medical support were also provided.

The education minister said the initiative improved performance in competitive exams.

He said last year, 265 government school students cleared JEE Mains, 45 qualified for JEE Advanced and 847 cleared NEET. PTI VSD OZ OZ