Neha from trans-Giri area of Sirmaur shines in Class XII exams

Pankaj Sharma

Nahan, April 29

A girl student, Neha, from the remote trans-Giri area of Sirmaur district has secured a place in the state’s top 10 meritorious students’ list in the Class XII examinations of the the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board. According to the results declared today, Neha of Bela village — studying in Government Model Senior Secondary School in Shillai — has secured the eight position in the state by scoring 480 marks out of 500.

Coming from a below poverty line (BPL) family, she used to daily travel 20 km in all on foot from her house to school and vice-versa. During harsh winters, she used to leave home at 5:30 am to walk through the forest paths in adverse conditions to reach the school by 9 am.

Nearly 6 years ago when Neha was in Class VI, her father Tikam Singh died due to an illness. Following this, her mother Kamala Devi took up the responsibility of raising her two sons and three daughters. Devi takes care of her family by working in the fields to ensure that her children continue with their education. Neha’s elder sister Nikita is a second-year college student, while her younger brother Aman studies in Class XII, Shruti in class X and Sunil in Class VIII.

In a conversation with ‘The Tribune’, Neha’s elder sister Nikita said despite having a poor financial condition, her mother did not lose courage and ensured that all her siblings went to school.

Neha said her mother has been her inspiration in her life. She said becoming a teacher was her goal so that she could provide good quality education to children coming from remote areas. She attributed her success to her mother, family and teachers.