It takes determination to top the fiercely competitive II Pre-University examination, and this year, among some extraordinary toppers, the story of one girl stood out in the results announced on Wednesday.
P. Anita’s father, P. Basappa, has struggled as a street vendor selling bananas in the small town of Kottur in Ballari district to ensure that he earned enough for his daughter’s education.
On Wednesday, years of toil bore a brilliant fruit — Ms. Anita got the top rank in the Arts stream. She scored 585 out of 600 (97 in Kannada, Sanskrit, and history, 99 in education, 96 in political science, and 99 in optional Kannada).
The girl, youngest of the three children of Mr. Basappa and Kenchamma, who are illiterates, now wants to prepare for the civil services. “We have struggled to give our children education and bank on scholarship,” said an elated Mr. Basappa.
Another topper
The other extraordinary student is Neelima Adimulam from Universal Education Trust PU College in Bengaluru. Married at the age of 18, she is a mother of a two-year old, but has refused to give up on studies.
Ms. Neelima has scored 593 out of 600 and is the second highest in Commerce stream. She bagged three centums in business studies, accounting, and computer science. So how did she manage to take care of the household and studies? She says she has mastered the art of reading while cooking.
Ms. Neelima plans to continue doing that and has set her sights on becoming a chartered accountant. “I would like to thank my family and teachers for being so supportive. I plan to continue studying in this college for my undergraduation,” she says.
“Playing with my child has been the best stress reliever,” she said.
Dip in pass percentage
Overall, the pass percentage was 57.2 in the State, a dip by 3.34 when compared to last year. Out of the total 6.36 lakh students who appeared for the exam, 3.64 lakh students have passed. Students from Dakshina Kannada district secured the highest pass percentage.
The pass percentage in the Arts stream has dipped by 9 per cent when compared to last year.
The chemistry paper, which was rescheduled three times because of question paper leakage twice, recorded a pass percentage of 83.31.
