Perambalur district tops State with pass % of 97.95 in Class 12 exams; Virudhunagar takes second spot
Lone trans student proves her mettle
Chennai: A Nivetha, the only transgender student to write Class 10 board examination in the State, passed the exam. Though the student of Lady Willingdon Higher School scored only 42.4%, her marks are nothing short of an achievement, as the journey so far hasn’t been easy for her. When Nivetha came out as a transwoman before her parents at the tender age of 14, she wasn’t ready to wage a lone and long war. “They were traumatised when I told them I was a transgender. After many fights, I had to leave my home one day,” said the 18-year-old. However, her parents are happy now, as Nivetha has passed Class 10. “I had to discontinue my studies also for some time after coming out. A neighbour gave me the address of a transgender in Triplicane, who helped me resume studies. I stay with her and she takes care of my expenses,” said Nivetha.
Disabled & orphaned, but finds success
Mayiladuthurai: Orphaned when she was only weeks old, T Lakshmi overcame obstacles. Born without hands, she grew up at Arivagam Kuzhanthaigal Illam near Mayiladuthurai. On Monday, she accomplished a massive feat by passing Class 12 exams. Lakshmi scored 277 marks from Government Girls Higher Secondary School near Dharmapuram. “I thank my teachers and guardians who encouraged me and helped me succeed. I am confident of succeeding in life,” she said. Lakshmi uses her left foot to write and draw. She practises folk dance as well. During exams, Lakshmi dictated answers to the teachers who wrote it down for her.
Writes exam on the day of dad’s death, scores big
Chennai: A Class 12 student, who wrote geography board exam on May 12 despite his father passing away in the wee hours of the day, scored 476. M Praveen was a student of Corporation Higher Secondary School in Virugambakkam. He was studying for the geography exam when his father complained of uneasiness at around 12.30 am on May 12. “My mother took him to a private hospital. As we could not afford to admit him there, my father asked my mother to take him to a government hospital. He fainted and died on the way to the hospital,” said Praveen.
Boys prove disability is no deterrent to success, pass with flying colours
Coimbatore/Madurai: Overcoming difficulties caused by poor vision, a Commerce stream student in Tiruppur secured 578 marks in Class 12. K Gokul of Eswaramoorthy Nagar at Velliangadu studied Commerce in Thiyagi NG Ramasamy Memorial Higher Secondary School. “When I was in Class 8, I was affected by glaucoma and lost 75% of vision in both eyes. Due to my father’s motivation, I returned to school after one year of bed rest to complete Class 10,” he said. When asked about studies, he said, “When teachers taught lessons, I used to listen carefully. I took notes using a black marker and pure white notes. I was able to see the notes at close proximity to the eye,” he said. Meanwhile in Madurai, another boy proved disability is no deterrent to success. Visually challenged V Saravanan from Koothiyarkundu in Madurai scored 459 in Class 10 board exam. Apart from using ‘Braille’ method for reading, Saravanan added that his friends and teachers helped him by reading out the lessons for him.
Collector lauds only student to get centum in Tamil
Thoothukudi: S Durga of Thoothukudi scored centum in Tamil language in Class 10 board exam. She is the only student in the State to have scored full marks in the subject. District Collector Dr K Senthil Raj and Superintendent of Police L Balaji Saravanan appreciated her in the presence of her parents and teachers on Monday. Durga studied at Kanchi Sri Sankara Academy Matric Higher Secondary School, West Tiruchendur. She is the daughter of police constable R Selvakumar of the Arumuganeri police station. Durga told TNIE that she was always interested in languages and that’s what made her score 100 in Tamil and 96 in English papers. “I thank my parents, school principal, teachers and especially Tamil teacher Selvi Asiriyai for helping me,” she said.
No access to online classes, still excels in maths
Chennai: Ayisha Siddiqha K of a Corporation-run girls’ higher secondary school in Korukkupet has given her family something to cheer for after many years. She secured 580 in her Class 12 exams with a centum in maths, even though she did not have a smartphone to attend online classes. Ayisha’s mother stays at home to take care of her brother, who is intellectually disabled. Her father who lost his job five years ago has remained unemployed ever since. She is the eldest of four children. “I didn’t have access to a smartphone during the pandemic. I went to school and got notes from my teachers and studied with that,” she told TNIE. Ayisha wants to study law and work for women’s rights.
She can do it all—fend for herself & 2 brothers, clear Class 10 boards
Chennai: N Reshma, a student of the Corporation high school on CB road, Old Washermenpet, scored 234 in her Class 10 exams. While this may not be an aspirational score to many, for her teachers and her, the fact that she passed is a source of great joy and pride. Reshma lost her father when she was five years old and a year later, her mother abandoned her, leaving her to fend for herself and her two younger brothers. “She is a bright student. Under the right circumstances, she would have scored higher,” said A Justin, a teacher. Although Reshma’s aunt, a domestic help, has let Reshma and her two brothers stay with her, Reshma is unsure how long the arrangement will last. “I take care of my brothers—wash their clothes, teach them their lessons and make sure they do their homework,” she said. Now that she is to get admission for Class 11, she has to shift schools, leaving her old teachers behind, who have been her greatest support.
Two Pocso victims overcome adversities
Madurai: Two POCSO victims from Annai Sathya Orphanage Home in Madurai passed Class 12 exams. Nisha*, who was a child marriage victim, scored 268 marks. Initially, she refused to go to school, but continuous counselling and support of her inmates helped overcome the challenges. Another student Nirmala* got 382 marks. Though both were physically and mentally disturbed, their determination helped them concentrate on studies.
Meanwhile, S Sanjana, who lost her father to Covid recently, secured 517 in Class 12 board exams. “I wish to become an IFS officer by taking up BSc Agriculture and fulfil my father’s dream,” she said.
*(names changed)
Story credit: Antony Fernando, Binita Jaiswal, Nirupama Viswanathan, Subashini Vijayakumar, Jeyalakshmi Ramanujam, S Godson Wisely DassFull stories on newindianexpress.com
