CHANDIGARH, JUNE 1 — Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann declared that Punjab is on track to become the premier education destination in the country, a transformation intended to stop students from moving abroad to places like Canada or Australia for quality schooling.
Speaking at the “Sitaare Zameen Te” event held to honor top-performing students, Mann stated that the state has surpassed Kerala to secure the top spot in national education rankings. He credited this achievement to systemic changes implemented over the last four years, which include upgrading infrastructure, instilling student confidence, and sending teachers abroad for specialized training.
“Our government is promoting knowledge-based education that develops understanding and critical thinking instead of rote learning,” Mann said. He noted that the state’s educational initiatives have successfully altered the aspirations of children within the public school system, allowing them to compete with confidence.
The Chief Minister honored nine toppers with certificates of appreciation and cash prizes of ₹50,000 each. During the event, Mann directed the Education Department to award joint first positions to students securing equal marks, rather than using birth dates as a tie-breaker. He also expressed pride in the academic performance of female students, noting that the majority of board toppers in classes 8, 10, and 12 this year are girls.
Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains reported substantial improvements in school infrastructure during the ceremony. Bains stated that nearly 400,000 children were studying on classroom floors when he assumed office, but government efforts have ensured that every student now has proper seating.
Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also addressed the gathering, calling for a overhaul of the national examination system. Sisodia asserted that outdated testing formats and issues like paper leaks threaten student futures, arguing that assessments should evaluate overall competence rather than relying on a single three-hour test.
According to state data, 359 government school students qualified for the JEE Main this year under the current administration’s “Sikhya Kranti” program. The state has also established regular parent-teacher meetings across roughly 19,000 schools and formed a partnership with a private coaching institute to provide free competitive exam preparation for public school students.
