In a major boost to academic performance in the PSEB Class X examinations, a special coaching initiative launched by the district Education Department (secondary) helped Jalandhar produce five students in the state merit list this year.
Among them is the district topper Mahesh Thakur, a student of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Ladowali Road, who secured 643 marks out of 650 and scored 98.92 per cent, bagging the third position on the state merit list.
Other students from Jalandhar who made it to the state merit list through these coaching classes include Navjot Kaur of Government Senior Secondary School, Khanpur Dhadda, who secured 633 marks out of 650 with 97.38 per cent and obtained the 12th position in the state. Tamanna, a student of Government Senior Secondary School, Naugajja, scored 632 marks out of 650 with 97.23 per cent and secured the 13th position.
Suhail Singh of School of Eminence, Adampur, scored 629 marks out of 650, securing 96.77 per cent and the 16th position on the state merit list while Kiranjot Kaur of Baba Bhagat Singh Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Bilga, secured 627 marks out of 650 with 96.46 per cent and stood 18th in the state.
Officials said the achievement was backed by a structured academic support programme run by the Education Department. Under the initiative, online coaching classes were conducted for 23 weeks from June to February with a focused approach towards board preparation, subject wise revision and regular assessments.
Navjot Kaur, a teacher associated with the initiative said," The classes began in the first week of June and continued till February. Nearly 80 to 90 students from government senior secondary schools in Jalandhar, who had scored above 90 per cent in their Class 9, were initially selected for the programme."
“Based on their performances, the number gradually came down to 36 students by February. The idea was to provide focused preparation to serious candidates,” she added.
Teachers selected for the programme conducted online coaching in mathematics, science, English, social science and Hindi or Punjabi with regular practice sessions, sample papers and pre-board examinations.
Navjot Kaur, student from Government Senior Secondary School, Khanpur Dhadda, said the classes helped her preparation, particularly in Maths and language subjects.
Gurinderjeet Kaur, District Education Officer (Secondary), said teachers remained actively involved throughout the programme and even conducted sessions on Sundays to support students ahead of the board examinations, leading to exceptional results.
