Fighting against all odds

Shivani Bhakoo
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, May 8

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Punjab School Education Board announced Class X results on Wednesday. Almost all the students who have secured top positions in the merit list are not born with a silver spoon. Not much comfortable atmosphere is provided by the parents at homes as they earn meagre wages and have huge families to take care of.

The fathers of most of the setoppers work in factories as workers, with a salary not more than ranging between Rs 13,000 and Rs 15,000.

Talking to Ludhiana Tribune, father of Neha Verma, the state topper, said he had four children who are all intelligent students and top position holders in respective classes. “I work as a driver. Though I am a Class IX drop-out, I want my children to study hard and achieve something in their lives. If I am not able to continue with their studies at a private school, I will admit them in a government school so that they can get free education and fulfil their dreams,” said the proud father. Neha is a student of Teja Singh Sutantar Memorial Senior Secondary School, Shimlapuri.

Neeraj Yadav, another student of Teja Singh Sutantar Memorial Senior Secondary School, is first in the state in sports category. He told Ludhiana Tribune that his father Shivnandan Yadav was a factory worker who has the responsibility to earn for a family five members with a salary of not more than Rs 15,000 a month. “I want to fulfil my dream to get admission in the IIT. I am aware about the financial constraints at home. None of the sibling has ever demanded anything expensive our father. I do understand that even if he wants to meet our demands, it is not possible with such meagre salary. I feel government should come forward to take responsibility to provide us free education,” he said.

Gurbachan S Grewal, director of Teja Singh Sutantar Memorial Senior Secondary School, said many Class X students in the school belong to below poverty line and slum areas. “They do not have a proper place for their studies. We arrange extra classes for them in the evening at school premise so they can sit till late to study. We also try to provide them all the facilities. These meritorious students were the real dedicated ones,” he said.