CHENNAI: V Sandhya, daughter of autorickshaw driver R Saravanan, broke down in tears on Friday after learning that she had emerged as the school topper in the Tamil Nadu Class 12 board examinations with 595 out of 600 marks. A student of Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Ashok Nagar, Sandhya said she stayed away from mobile phones and social media during her preparation period. Speaking to TOI, she said her revision examination scores ranged between 570 and 580, and she did not expect to secure such high marks in the final examinations.
Three centums in commerce stream
Sandhya secured centums in accountancy, commerce and economics. She said she now plans to focus on preparing for the Chartered Accountancy foundation course. “I dedicate this achievement to my parents and teachers, especially my Tamil teacher who treated me like her own daughter,” she said. Sandhya added that financial struggles at home motivated her to pursue a professional course. “There were times when my father struggled financially. I want to become financially independent and support my parents,” she said. Her father, Saravanan, earns around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 a month as an autorickshaw driver. He said Sandhya had earlier studied in a private school in Ashok Nagar but shifted to the government school after Class 10 because he could not afford the annual fees.
School records 99.4% pass percentage
Sandhya had scored 464 out of 500 in Class 10 examinations before choosing the commerce stream. “I am confident she will succeed in whatever she chooses,” Saravanan said. School headmistress K Vasuki said the institution recorded a 99.4% pass percentage this year. A total of 686 students from the school appeared for the Tamil Nadu Higher Secondary Certificate examinations. “Government schools continue to support students from economically weaker families,” Vasuki said. Tamil Nadu recorded a 95.20% overall pass percentage in the Class 12 board examinations this year. Girls secured a 97% pass percentage, while boys recorded 93.19%. Across the state, 2,639 schools registered a 100% pass result, including 489 government schools. Computer science recorded the highest number of centums with 6,945 students scoring full marks.
