Chandigarh, 14 May (H.S.):

Punjab’s government schools have registered a major achievement in the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class 12 examinations, with 416 government schools recording a perfect 100 percent pass result under the Bhagwant Mann-led government’s education reforms.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday praised the students, especially girls, for leading Punjab’s educational progress after three students secured a perfect 500 out of 500 marks in the Class 12 board exams. The top scorers include Supneet Kaur from Mansa and Suhani Chauhan and Divyanshi from Ludhiana.

To honour their exceptional performance, CM Mann presented each topper with a cash prize of ₹50,000. Speaking during an interaction with the students, the Chief Minister said it was a matter of pride that all three toppers are also national and state-level sportspersons, proving that they are excelling in multiple fields. He said all the toppers come from humble backgrounds and have achieved success through hard work and dedication.

In another major highlight, 122 out of 278 students in the merit list are from government schools, reflecting growing confidence in Punjab’s public education system. The government attributed this transformation to infrastructure development, modern classrooms, and focused academic reforms introduced in recent years.

CM Mann said girls have once again outperformed boys in the board exams. Out of the total merit holders, 217 are girls, while only 61 are boys.

According to official figures, around 2.65 lakh students appeared for the examination, out of which nearly 2.42 lakh students passed, taking the overall pass percentage to 91.46 percent.

The pass percentage among girls stood at 94.73 percent, while boys recorded 88.52 percent. Among districts, Amritsar recorded the highest pass percentage at 96 percent, while Patiala had the highest number of merit holders with 59 students making it to the merit list.

During the event, one of the toppers expressed her dream of becoming an Indian Air Force pilot. Encouraging her, CM Mann advised aspiring girls to join the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for Girls in SAS Nagar, Mohali, which trains girls for careers in defence services. Senior officials, including Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, Principal Secretary to CM Dr Ravi Bhagat, and School Education Secretary Sonali Giri, were also present.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH