Mahesh, a 17-year-old student of Karnataka Public School at Jeevan Bima Nagar in Bengaluru, has scored 98% in the SSLC exam.
On Tuesday morning, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S. Suresh Kumar visited his hutment in Malleshpalya, where Mr. Mahesh lives with his mother Mallamma and two siblings. Congratulating him on his outstanding performance, the Minister also felicitated him and presented him with ₹5,000.
Mr. Mahesh wants to pursue science in pre-university. “My teachers and a few officials from the Education Department have suggested that I get admission at a residential college. They will be shortlisting some colleges for me,” he told The Hindu. “But I will continue working as a construction labourer till the admission process is completed and colleges start functioning.”
He said he took a break from work before the exam for a few days. “I started working after the restrictions on construction activities were lifted. I never felt the toil when I sat down to study after a day’s work.”
His teacher Nagaraj called him a genius. “We realised his potential and gave him a little guidance. He did not miss a single day of school,” he said, adding that many of the SSLC students used to stay back after school hours to study. “We used to be open from 7.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. The home environment for many students is not conducive for studying. We used to stay back and help these students.”
