4 min readLudhianaJun 1, 2026 08:21 AM IST
A query raised by a class X topper from Amritsar district on Sunday forced Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann to announce a major policy change for the declaration of board results under the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB).
Mann, along with Delhi’s former education minister Manish Sisodia and Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains, honoured class 8, 10 and 12 PSEB toppers at Chandigarh Sunday, and the gathering was titled “Sitaare Zameen Par.”
The gathering also saw students express their views, for the betterment of the education system, in front of AAP senior leaders who were in the state.
Gagandeep Kaur, a student of Amber Senior Secondary School, Nawan Tanel of Amritsar district, questioned the Cm on why the PSEB declares the “toppers” on the basis of age even if the marks scored are the same.
Gagandeep along with her classmates Tanvir Kaur and Rajpreet Kaur scored 98 per cent marks each in class 10 board exams. However, as per the existing PSEB rule, Tanvir was declared the district topper for Amritsar as she was the youngest among the three.
According to the current PSEB rule, if three students score the same marks, the ranks are decided on the basis of their age and the youngest is declared the topper, both at the state and district level.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Gagandeep said: “I was hurt when only first rank holders were called on stage for photograph with the CM. Three of us had scored same marks. There has to be equality in ranks if marks are same.”
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After listening to her, CM announced from the stage that from now onwards, PSEB will not declare toppers on the basis of age. Issuing on-the-spot instructions to education department officials including secretary Sonali Giri, CM said said students scoring equal marks “should be awarded joint first position instead of deciding ranks on the basis of date of birth.”
Questioning the “age-based bias”, Gagandeep raised this issue when students were asked by Sisodia what change they would like to bring in the education system if they were an education minister for a day.
“Main age difference khatam karna chahundi haan (I want to end the age difference),” said Gagandeep as she pointed out that she along with her classmates, Tanvir and Rajpreet, had scored equal 98 percent marks, but youngest among them was declared the district topper for Amritsar.
“Three of us worked hard, we are classmates, we scored equal marks but we have been declared 1st, 2nd and 3rd on the basis of our age. What is the logic sir?,” questioned Gagandeep.
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CM Mann replied: “For us, all three of you are first (rank).”
Gagandeep however wasn’t convinced. She said: “But, only one of us was called on stage for the honor. Had three of us been called, then I would have said our education system is excellent..”
Listening to the conversation between Mann and Gagandeep, Sisodia said, “i am so happy to see that our students are so confident enough that they have the guts to tell the chief minister on his face that ‘your system is wrong’.”
CM Mann then issued directions to the education department to declare all three students with same marks as first. Mann added, “Now onwards, ranks will be decided on the basis of marks only, not age.”
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Sukhwinder Singh, director, Amber Senior Secondary School, said: “We are proud of our student who raised a valid point in front of the CM.”
