CM Bhagwant Mann opens School of Eminence in Ludhiana
Synopsis
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann inaugurated a School of Eminence in Ludhiana on 3 August 2026, pointing to 882 NEET and 125-plus JEE Main qualifiers from Punjab government schools as proof that the state's Punjab Sikhya Kranti education drive is producing real competitive-exam outcomes.
Key Takeaways
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann inaugurated a School of Eminence in Ludhiana on 3 August 2026 .
882 students from Punjab government schools cleared NEET this year, according to Mann.
More than 125 government school students cleared JEE Main this year.
The School of Eminence scheme upgrades select government schools with modern infrastructure and world-class facilities.
The initiative is part of the Punjab Sikhya Kranti campaign launched after the AAP government came to power in 2022 .
Ludhiana is Punjab's largest industrial city, making access to quality public education especially significant for its working-class families.
Government school students in Punjab are cracking NEET and JEE — and the state is now building the infrastructure to match that ambition. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann inaugurated a School of Eminence in Ludhiana on Monday, 3 August 2026, declaring that the Punjab government's push for quality public education is delivering measurable results.
Speaking at the inauguration, Mann cited striking numbers: 882 students from Punjab government schools cleared NEET this year, while more than 125 cracked JEE Main — national entrance exams that have long been considered the near-exclusive domain of students enrolled in expensive private coaching institutes.
What a School of Eminence actually delivers
The School of Eminence programme is the flagship infrastructure arm of Punjab's broader Punjab Sikhya Kranti ('Punjab Education Revolution') campaign, launched after the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in the 2022 state elections. The scheme targets select government schools for comprehensive upgrades — modern classrooms, science labs, digital learning tools, and world-class facilities that were previously available only in elite private institutions.
Ludhiana, Punjab's largest industrial city and a hub of working- and middle-class families, is a pointed choice of venue. For families here who cannot afford private schooling or coaching, a neighbourhood government school that genuinely prepares students for medical and engineering entrances is not a policy talking point — it is a life-changing resource.
NEET and JEE: why these numbers carry weight
Clearing NEET opens the door to undergraduate medical colleges across India; clearing JEE Main is the gateway to the country's top engineering programmes. Both exams are ferociously competitive, and for decades the assumption was that cracking them required years of expensive private coaching — a barrier that effectively locked out students from public schools.
Punjab's reported tally of 882 NEET qualifiers and 125-plus JEE Main qualifiers from government schools, if sustained and independently verified, would represent a meaningful shift in that pattern. Similar education-quality drives have been attempted across several Indian states, but consistent competitive-exam outcomes from public school students remain the hardest benchmark to meet.
The kicker: the real test of Punjab's education revolution will not be in the ribbon-cutting — it will be in next year's results, and the year after that.
Point of View
And they feed a broader narrative that public schools can replace private coaching for high-stakes national exams. The NEET and JEE qualifier numbers, if independently verified at scale, would be among the most politically potent education metrics any Indian state government has claimed in recent years. The pattern mirrors AAP's playbook from Delhi, where school upgrades became a signature governance brand — Punjab is now attempting to replicate and amplify that story ahead of future electoral cycles. The real analytical question is whether outcomes are systemic or concentrated in a handful of upgraded schools, which only granular district-level data can answer.
NationPress
3 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a School of Eminence in Punjab?
A School of Eminence is a government school upgraded under the Punjab Sikhya Kranti programme with modern classrooms, science labs, digital tools, and world-class facilities to provide quality education comparable to private institutions.
How many Punjab government school students cleared NEET in 2026?
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann stated that 882 students from Punjab government schools cleared NEET this year, citing it as evidence of the state's improving public education quality.
Where was the School of Eminence inaugurated by CM Bhagwant Mann?
CM Bhagwant Mann inaugurated the School of Eminence in Ludhiana , Punjab's largest industrial city, on 3 August 2026 .
What is Punjab Sikhya Kranti?
Punjab Sikhya Kranti ('Punjab Education Revolution') is the AAP state government's campaign, launched after the 2022 elections, to upgrade government school infrastructure, teaching quality, and facilities across the state.
How many Punjab students cleared JEE Main from government schools?
According to CM Bhagwant Mann, more than 125 students from Punjab government schools successfully cleared JEE Main this year.
