Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann said his government was turning Punjab into the country’s leading education destination and reversing the long-held perception that quality education can only be found abroad.Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann said his government was turning Punjab into the country’s leading education destination and reversing the long-held perception that quality education can only be found abroad.Pointing to Punjab’s rise past Kerala in national education rankings, the growing dominance of girls among board toppers and the success of 359 government school students in JEE Main, Mann said the state’s “sikhya kranti” (education revolution) had begun delivering tangible results on the ground.Speaking at the “Sitaare Zameen Te” programme in Chandigarh, where top-performing Class 8, 10 and 12 students were honoured, Mann said Punjab’s government schools were no longer struggling for recognition but were setting new benchmarks for excellence, confidence and opportunity across the country.“Due to the dedicated efforts of your government, Punjab’s government schools are surpassing even Kerala in the field of education,” he said while addressing students.“My message to the students is simple: no matter how successful you become in life, always remain grounded. Always respect your teachers and parents, because even a winner has to bow down to receive a medal. My heartfelt best wishes to all of you for a bright and successful future,” he added.“You should strive to become grassrooters in life and not parachuters. Grassrooters rise from the ground through hard work and determination and go on to conquer the world. For such hardworking individuals, the sky is the limit. Parachuters, on the other hand, descend from the sky and are destined to fall sooner or later. Your focus should always be on excellence and our government will provide every possible support to help you achieve your goals,” he added.In his address, education minister Harjot Singh Bains said, “When I assumed office, nearly 4 lakh children in Punjab were studying while sitting on the floor. Today, due to the concerted efforts of the Punjab government, not a single child has to sit on the floor to study. Punjab is now securing top positions in almost every national report related to the education sector.”Former Delhi deputy chief minister and AAP’s Punjab affairs in-charge Manish Sisodia stressed the need for comprehensive reforms in the country’s examination system. He said,“The outdated examination system in the country must be replaced. Incidents like the leakage of examinations such as NEET are ruining the futures of countless students. Instead of relying on a system rooted in the 19th century, examinations should evaluate the overall competence and capabilities of students rather than confining assessment to a three-hour test.”Girl’s question prompts CM to order joint first position for students with equal marksDuring the interactive session, a girl student from Amritsar stood up and questioned the chief minister, why when three students get same marks in PSEB exams, the youngest gets the top position.“Every child studies and teachers put in an equal amount of effort in them. But when the result comes, a younger student gets an upper position. Why is it?” she asked, drawing claps from fellow students.“We are studying in the same class. We have been declared first, second and third on the basis of age. We do the same amount of hard work,” she said.To this, Mann said, “For us, three of you hold the first position.” The girl then said only the student who held the first rank and was the youngest was called to the stage.Mann then told the student, while pointing towards the officers, that he had earlier asked them why not three students were given the joint first position. Then came another remark from the student, who said, “Had three students been declared securing first position, then we would have said the education system was very good.”On this, the chief minister issued directions to the education department that the second and third positions be declared based on marks and not on the basis of age in case of equal score.Sisodia said he was so happy that a student told the chief minister “Your system is wrong”.Later in a post on X, Mann said, “I issued special instructions to the education department that students securing equal marks should be awarded a joint first position instead of deciding ranks based on date of birth.”Another girl student questioned why students holding second and third positions were not called for a photo with the chief minister. Mann then invited all students to come and get photographs clicked with him.