Mohali, May 17 -- Mohali recorded an overall pass percentage of 96.64% in the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class 10 results that were declared on Friday, climbing to the 11th spot in state rankings-an improvement from 13th position last year. Out of the 8,960 students who appeared for the Class 10 exams in Mohali, 8,659 passed. Jashandeep Kaur, a student of Government High School, Rajomajra in Dera Bassi, emerged as the district topper, securing an impressive 96.62% (628 out of 650 marks). She ranked 22nd in the state, becoming the only student from Mohali to feature in this year's merit list of 300. In comparison, three students from Mohali had made it to the merit list last year. Last year, three students from the district had ranked 12th, 17th and 19th in the merit list. This year's lone entry has placed Mohali among the lowest-ranking districts in terms of merit list representation. Kapurthala narrowly edged out Mohali with two girls making it to the merit list. Ludhiana topped the state with 52 merit list entries, including 41 girls and 11 boys. A senior officer of the education department expressed concern over the district's continued poor showing in top-tier academic performance. "Despite the fact that no school in Mohali is short of staff, the consistently low representation in the merit list is worrying. One possible reason could be that many teachers posted here have 'VIP' connections and don't feel the need to perform," the officer said. The district's pass percentage also dropped slightly from 96.89% last year to 96.64% this year. Coming from a financially modest background, Jashandeep is the daughter of Malkeet Singh, a daily wage labourer, and a homemaker mother. She dreams of becoming a chartered accountant. "I want to become a chartered accountant and prove myself. I never took any tuition because we couldn't afford it," she said. She has already taken admission in Class 11 commerce stream....