JEYPORE: The daughter of a mason in Jeypore, Puja Gouda has scored 545 marks with an A1 grade in the HSC examination, notwithstanding the financial difficulties at home.
A student of Jeypore Government high school, Puja studied for 12 hours to score the grade. “Despite the low income of my father, my parents never let that affect my education. They ensured that I never missed out on school,” she said. She attributes her success to her teachers. “My teachers knew of my father’s financial condition. There are many other students like me in my class. So, our teachers went out of their way to help us with remedial classes, books and study materials,” she said. The girl wants to become a teacher and work for children in Koraput.
Headmaster of the school Prakash Patnaik said Puja had also done well in all extra-curricular activities throughout her school career and won several prizes. “Despite coming from a poor family, she has been doing very well in her education and brought laurels for the school too,” he said. This year, of the 15,655 students who appeared for the HSC examination in Koraput, only 19 got A1.