Under the Bhagwant Mann-led government’s ‘Sikhya Kranti’ initiative, the results also highlighted the continued academic dominance of girls, who outperformed boys in both merit and overall pass percentage.
Three students — Supneet Kaur from Mansa and Suhani Chauhan and Divyanshi from Ludhiana — topped the examinations with a perfect score of 500 out of 500 marks. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann felicitated the toppers with a cash award of ₹50,000 each.
In a significant boost to confidence in government education, 122 out of 275 students in the merit list are from government schools, reflecting a shift driven by infrastructure upgrades, modern classrooms and focused academic reforms.
While interacting with the students, Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “It is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction that all the three toppers are national and state-level players, which clearly shows that they are excelling in every field.” He added, “All the toppers belong to humble backgrounds and want to excel in life through hard work and dedication. The Punjab Government will extend full support and cooperation to them in achieving their dreams.”
Overall, around 2.65 lakh students appeared for the exams, with approximately 2.42 lakh passing, taking the pass percentage to 91.46%. Girls recorded a higher pass percentage of 94.73%, compared to 88.52% among boys. Amritsar district topped with a 96% pass rate, while Patiala had the highest number of merit holders at 59.
Highlighting the trend, the Chief Minister said that 217 of the 278 merit list students are girls, underscoring their consistent academic excellence. He described the achievement as a reflection of women’s empowerment and the state’s educational progress.Mann said, “Continuing the trend of previous years, girls have once again outshined boys in the results. Out of the total 278 students in the merit list, 217 are girls while only 61 are boys.”
The Chief Minister also encouraged girls to pursue careers in the armed forces, highlighting the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute in Mohali as a platform for training future officers.
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Girls aspiring to join the Armed Forces should enrol in the Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute for Girls at SAS Nagar, Mohali.”
The Chief Minister further added, “The institute is performing exceptionally well and is the only fully residential institute of its kind in the country that trains young girls for careers as commissioned officers in the Defence Services.” He further added, “Girls are trained physically and mentally to compete at the national level with a high degree of assurance to crack AFCAT, CDS and SSB examinations.”