Pride of his village
Amit Madar, a Dalit student from Government High School at Jumanal in Vijayapura district, scored full marks in SSLC making his whole village proud.
“It is an unforgettable day for not just me but all our people in the village,” he said. Hailing from a poor agricultural family, Amit lost his father when he was just a year old. His mother, agricultural labour who toiled on the farmlands of others for wages, ensured education to all three.
Amit is the youngest of the three siblings. His sister, the eldest one, is in her final year of degree. His brother works at a book shop while studying the second year degree.
When the Jumanal Government High School teachers conducted online classes during the COVID-19, Amit did not have a smartphone to attend them. He requested his friends and relatives and managed to attend classes. He says he studied six to eight hours a day.
While Amit wants to become a doctor, many have advised him to do IAS. He says studying in a government school was never a disadvantage. “Some people say that quality of teaching in government schools is low. But it is not true,” he told The Hindu.
Jumanal Government High School, which is close to Vijayapura city, is preferred over other private schools in Vijayapura, claims C.A. Rudragoudar, retired Head Master of the school, who had taught Amit for a couple of years.
Big dreams, small means
Yashwitha T.S., one of the State toppers in SSLC, wants to become a doctor, but her poor parents are worried if they can support their daughter financially. “We are farmers with only 20 guntas of land. We cannot dream big,” said Yashwika’s father Suresh.
Yashwika, who was away at her relative’s place with no phone connectivity, was unreachable on Thursday, when SSLC results were announced. Her father responded to the calls on his daughter’s behalf.
Mr. Suresh is an arts graduate and his wife Gayathri has studied up to SSLC. The family spent some years in Bengaluru, where the couple worked at a garment unit. Later they moved to their native place Tandiganahalli near Banavara in Arasikere taluk, where the couple is pursuing agriculture.
“My daughter got a chance to study in Morarji Desai School at Kundur Mutt in Channarayapatna taluk in Hassan district from Class VI. We sent her there as we were sure of her getting quality education without any financial burden,” said Mr. Suresh.
He said that he was unsure of his ability to support her dreams of becoming a doctor also because he has to take care of Yashwika’s sister, who does not go to school due to health issues. The parents have decided to admit Yashwika to a government college which would offer her free education.
Working at crack of dawn
Puneeth Naika worked as a labourer at the Malpe Fishing Harbour early in the morning on days his mother was unwell. However, this student from Government PU College, Malpe in Udupi district, did not lose focus on studies and scored 625 in the SSLC results declared on Thursday.
Puneeth’s mother Lalitha often reminded him of his aim to secure the perfect score as he prepared to leave for work. “I reassured her of my preparations and carried out the work in mornings,” he said.
Mr. Naika, whose family hails from Koppal district, said that because of financial condition in the family he was forced to work between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. in the harbour to unload fish from boats. After the work, he went to school and continued his preparation for the examination, Mr. Naika said.
Sandhya, the in-charge headmistress of Mr. Naika’s school, said the boy has been studious throughout the year. His brother Kiran also had scored 615 marks in the SSLC examination two years ago, she recalled.
School was often his home
Being the topper is not a mean achievement for Praveen Neeralagi, son of a marginal farmer from Halemannagi village in Savanur taluk of Haveri district, who often stayed back and slept in the school to study. Given the space constraints at home, it was not easy for him to concentrate there.
Praveen’s parents Basangaouda and Chitra have one acre of land and often work as farm labourers to augment the meagre income.
Praveen studied at Government High School in his village. He aspires to become a doctor, but is not sure whether his financial position will help enable it. “I want to become a doctor. If Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai extends help, I am sure I can achieve my dream,” he told press persons.
Kannada teacher’s daughter
B.R. Bhumika from Government High School, Yelanadu, Chikkanayakanahalli, Tumakuru district, is the daughter of a Kannada teacher in the same school. She has studied in government schools and in Kannada medium all through.
She travelled in public transport from Bannikere village to her school every day. “I never went for tuitions and only tried to follow one formula, trying to understand concepts rather than learn anything by rote,” said the girl who is very keen on pursuing Mathematics.
Bhumika’s father and teacher Ravindranath is a pround man. “She is the perfect example of how one achieve heights in one’s mother tongue. It is always easier to express ourselves in our mother tongue,” he said.
