Chandigarh: The Punjab government has decided that students securing identical marks in board examinations will henceforth be awarded the same rank, abolishing the long-standing practice of using date of birth as a tie-breaker, officials said on Tuesday.

The decision was announced by Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, following a meeting of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) here, according to an official statement.

The decision stems from a state-level felicitation function 'Sitare Zameen Te' held on May 31 where Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann honoured district toppers of classes 8, 10 and 12.

During an interaction with students at the event, some pointed out that students with marks identical to the top ranker were placed lower on the merit list solely due to age, affecting their ranks.

Taking cognisance of the matter, Mann directed the PSEB to end the practice and implement a joint rank system for all students securing equal marks.

Bains said this is a historic step towards student-centric education. "A student with the same marks as the topper cannot be ranked lower because of age. Under Mann's visionary leadership, equal marks will now mean equal rank," he said, according to the statement.

Beyond ranking reforms, the PSEB has also cleared sweeping changes to question paper design, aiming to curb cheating and end rote learning, officials said.

The move comes after students told the chief minister during the event that current papers rewarded memorisation over understanding.

Bains said, "We are shifting to competency-based question papers set by subject experts. The focus is on testing a student's understanding, analytical ability and reasoning, not how well they can memorise. Better question papers mean fewer chances to cheat. When questions test thinking, not recall, paper leaks and copying lose their value." PTI CHS

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.