Questioning the top ranking given to Punjab in school education,  Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said the previous governments forged figures to show the state as the front-ranking state in education ‘on paper’.

Addressing a gathering during the opening of a school of eminence here on Saturday, the CM said government schools in the state were striving for basic infrastructure and manpower but the previous governments misled the people by presenting forged figures.

Mann called it unfortunate that those who presented the fake figures were not from other states, but the politicians hailing from Punjab only. He said wise people of state had understood the designs of these politicians and have routed them at the hustings to give a chance to fresh faces.

Praising the schools of eminence, he said these schools will groom the students for futuristic needs and emerge Punjab as a role model in the education sector across the country. Parents will now prefer to send their children to these schools rather than the private schools.

The CM further said that such schools have already revolutionised the education sector in Delhi. Now, it is the turn of Punjab where this model will be implemented successfully.

Punjab topped the national performance grading index (PGI) of school education for 2020-21 released by the Union ministry of education in November 2022. The state, which has over 19,000 government and aided schools, has secured the number one position for the second year running. In 2019-20, the state had scored 929 followed by Chandigarh (912) and Tamil Nadu (906).

Mann said his government has made a commitment to impart world-class education for the students. The day is not far when the students from the state will scale new heights across the globe after getting education from these Government schools.

Describing the ‘Schools of Eminence’ as a revolutionary step for ensuring the golden future of the students, he said it was a giant leap forward towards becoming a real frontrunner in the field of education.

The chief minister said 117 schools of eminence being set up in 23 districts of state are temples of quality education and their purpose is to give wings to the dreams of the bright students of government schools.