CHANDIGARH: In a striking endorsement of Chief Minister S Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab government’s education reforms, rural students have outperformed their urban counterparts in the class 10th board examinations, recording a 95.35% pass rate against 92.98% in urban areas. Revealing the details here on Monday, Punjab Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains hailed the outcome as proof that ‘Sikhya Kranti’ is delivering on the ground.Harleen Sharma of Saraswati Senior Secondary School, Jaito (Faridkot) topped Punjab with 646 out of 650 marks (99.38%). In an exceptionally close finish, Manimahesh Sharma of Government Senior Secondary School, Chanauli Bassi (Rupnagar) secured second place with 645 out of 650 (99.23%) second position. Riya Rani of Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Chief Khalsa Diwan, Model Town, Hoshiarpur took third place with 645 out of 650 marks (99.23%).S. Harjot Singh Bains said that 2,69,505 students appeared for the Class 10 board exams and 2,54,744 passed, taking the overall pass percentage to 94.52%. Rural students outperformed urban peers, with 1,74,958 appearing and 1,66,830 passing for a 95.35% pass rate. In urban areas, 94,547 appeared and 87,914 passed, recording 92.98%.Extending heartiest congratulations to all the successful students, S. Bains said that the rural-urban gap of over 2.3 percentage points marks a historic reversal of previous trends, which often saw urban centres leading. He attributed the shift to focused investments in education infrastructure and regular teacher training. This is not just a result sheet. It is a report card of the government that believes in opportunity, not privilege, he added.
