E-Paper
Over 1,700 Punjab government school students to receive free coaching for IIT, NIT and AIIMS entrances
Winter residential coaching camps under PACE to prepare government school students for IIT-JEE, NIT and AIIMS entrance examinations.
More than 1,700 students from Punjab government schools will receive free residential coaching for national-level competitive examinations such as IIT-JEE, NIT and AIIMS under the state government’s Punjab Academic Coaching for Excellence (PACE) programme.
According to Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains, a total of 1,728 students have been selected for the Winter Residential Coaching Camps, which will be conducted across three centres—Bathinda, Ludhiana and SAS Nagar (Mohali). The Bathinda centre will accommodate 601 students, Ludhiana 573 and Mohali 554.
The camps are aimed at preparing government school students for entry into premier professional institutions and form part of the Mann government’s efforts to expand access to competitive exam coaching for students from varied socio-economic backgrounds.
Bains said students were selected through a multi-stage process assessing performance in mock tests, conceptual understanding, academic consistency and teacher recommendations. Twenty per cent of seats at each centre have been reserved for students from other government schools and drop-year aspirants, extending the programme beyond Schools of Eminence and Residential Schools for Meritorious Students.
The residential camps will be supported by faculty from coaching organisations including Physics Wallah, Vidya Mandir and Avanti Fellows. The curriculum will focus on concept-building and problem-solving aligned with JEE and NEET examination patterns. In addition to classroom instruction, students will receive daily doubt-clearing sessions, individual mentoring and modules on stress management and career guidance.
The education minister said the camps are intended to provide early exposure to Class 11 students and strengthen final-stage preparation for Class 12 aspirants. Referring to outcomes from previous years, he said 265 government school students cleared JEE Main, 45 qualified JEE Advanced and 847 cleared NEET last year.
The programme will be conducted at fully residential facilities with standardised academic planning and centralised monitoring. The state government has also made arrangements for accommodation, meals, supervision, and medical and counselling support during the camps.
