Ludhiana, April 22 -- In a remarkable achievement, 131 students from the state's Meritorious Schools have cracked the highly competitive Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains this year. The result, declared on Saturday, showcased yet again the excellence of these government-run schools, where a majority of successful candidates-131 out of 189 from all government schools-hail from just nine Meritorious institutions.

These schools, established to support academically bright students from economically weaker backgrounds, continue to punch above their weight. Their success is not new-last year alone, 243 students from Meritorious Schools cleared NEET, and over 2,000 scored above 90% in Class 12 exams. But behind these numbers lies a story o...