Manbir Kaur

Manbir Kaur, a 15 year old Pakistani Sikh girl has become the first from the Sikh community to top the matriculation examination in the country. She is daughter of Giani Prem Singh the head granthi at Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib. The topper gained 1,035 marks out of 1,100.

Manbir’s accomplishment is no ordinary feat as Sikhs only comprise 1% of Pakistan’s population. She achieved what even boys of the community could not. Her hard work has paid off. She has always been a diligent student.

Manbir Kaur had taken admission in a pre-medical course at the Punjab Group of Colleges in Lahore as she wanted to grow up to be a doctor.

In order to recognise Manbir’s effort and inspire the community’s youth to excel, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee honoured her with a siropa  (robe of honour) after the result was announced.

Regarding girls’ education in Pakistan, Pakistani Sikh Community also believes that women should be treated no differently from men as they have as much a right to pursue their dreams. If they can run homes so efficiently, why shouldn’t they be allowed to conquer the world outside?

Since Manbir’s cousins had also done well in the Class 10 examinations, the 200 Sikh families living in Nankana Sahib were encouraging their daughters to excel in every field.

According to the 2010 census, there are only 15,000 Sikhs in Pakistan. Manbir’s feat comes as a ray of hope and inspiration for girls of the community to gain education and eventually become economically independent.