HYDERABAD: Forty-five-year-old Gummakunda Chennaiah’s happiness knew no bounds when he was told that his 17-year-old daughter Haritha secured the 1187th rank in the JEE (Advanced) exams. Chennaiah, a sanitation worker in the Secunderabad Cantonment, said that no one in this family had ever accomplished anything like this.
On Friday, Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) CEO Ajith Reddy felicitated Haritha for her exceptional performance in the exam.
A student of Telangana Social Welfare Residential School in Gowlidoddi, Haritha expressed her gratitude to Dr R S Praveen Kumar, a senior IPS officer heading the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS). The society runs 268 social welfare schools, which provide free education, food and clothes to nearly 1.5 lakh students from Class V and above.
“I am happy that I could get free coaching for the JEE exam at my own school. My parents would not have been able to afford to send me to a normal coaching centre,” Haritha said.
Chennaiah’s struggles gave her the determination to meet her goal. “I have three younger sisters. Despite our financial condition, my parents never discouraged us from studying more and aiming higher,” she added.
Haritha spent at least 16 hours a day preparing for her exam. On the day of the result, which was released recently, she was unable to access the Internet. She had to wait for her teachers to call her up and tell her the result.
“My wife and I are uneducated, but we always knew that our daughter was good at studies. When her teachers called us to inform the JEE result, it took us some time to comprehend what she had achieved,” said Chennaiah.
Free coaching at school did its bit
Haritha was provided free JEE coaching at her school. “I am happy that I could get free coaching at my own school. My parents would not have been able to afford to send me to a normal coaching centre,” Haritha said. She spent 16 hours a day preparing for her exam