MADURAI: The 17-year-old daughter of a daily wager has scored 600 out of 600 marks in the Class 12 Tamil Nadu state board exams. The results were announced on Monday.
S Nandhini of Annamalaiar Mills Girls Higher Secondary School, a government-aided school in Dindigul district, scored 100/100 in all six subjects — Tamil, English, economics, commerce, accountancy, and computer application.
“My father’s hard work is the reason where I am today. He kept telling me that my education is my wealth and encouraged me to pursue my dreams,” said an emotional Nandhini. “He told me money should never be a constraint for my studies,” the girl said amid a never-ending stream of congratulatory messages and media attention since the results came out in the morning. Her father S Saravanakumar, a carpenter, mother S Banupriya, homemaker, and brother S Praveen Kumar, a Class 6 student, joined in the celebrations along with her teachers at their home in Nagal Nagar in Dindigul town.
So, how did Nandhini achieve this feat? Saravanakumar said his daughter was focused on academics from a young age and did well. “She saw how hard we were working and always wanted to do what she could to lessen our burden,” he added.
Her school headmistress, A Akila, told TOI that it was not something that happened out of the blue. “We were expecting her to do really well in the exams, especially since she was able to score 598/600 in the Class 11 board exams. She is hard-working and skilled in elocution both in English and Tamil. She has been studying in our school from LKG onwards and the teachers have always supported her. She has never gone for tuition,” she said.
Nandhini said she made her own plans and timetables to study both at home and at school. “My friends would try to tempt me for some entertainment. But I would control myself and sacrifice such things. I dedicated more time to study difficult topics. I also started early in the morning,” she said. She is one of only two students to score a centum in Tamil. Besides participating in elocution, she enjoys writing poetry and essays in English and Tamil.
Nandhini now plans to study BCom CA and pursue chartered accountancy. “We can achieve anything if we believe in it. Another person does not need to come and motivate you to feel encouraged. I aim to be independent and stand on my feet,” she said.
S Nandhini of Annamalaiar Mills Girls Higher Secondary School, a government-aided school in Dindigul district, scored 100/100 in all six subjects — Tamil, English, economics, commerce, accountancy, and computer application.
“My father’s hard work is the reason where I am today. He kept telling me that my education is my wealth and encouraged me to pursue my dreams,” said an emotional Nandhini. “He told me money should never be a constraint for my studies,” the girl said amid a never-ending stream of congratulatory messages and media attention since the results came out in the morning. Her father S Saravanakumar, a carpenter, mother S Banupriya, homemaker, and brother S Praveen Kumar, a Class 6 student, joined in the celebrations along with her teachers at their home in Nagal Nagar in Dindigul town.
So, how did Nandhini achieve this feat? Saravanakumar said his daughter was focused on academics from a young age and did well. “She saw how hard we were working and always wanted to do what she could to lessen our burden,” he added.
Her school headmistress, A Akila, told TOI that it was not something that happened out of the blue. “We were expecting her to do really well in the exams, especially since she was able to score 598/600 in the Class 11 board exams. She is hard-working and skilled in elocution both in English and Tamil. She has been studying in our school from LKG onwards and the teachers have always supported her. She has never gone for tuition,” she said.
Nandhini said she made her own plans and timetables to study both at home and at school. “My friends would try to tempt me for some entertainment. But I would control myself and sacrifice such things. I dedicated more time to study difficult topics. I also started early in the morning,” she said. She is one of only two students to score a centum in Tamil. Besides participating in elocution, she enjoys writing poetry and essays in English and Tamil.
Nandhini now plans to study BCom CA and pursue chartered accountancy. “We can achieve anything if we believe in it. Another person does not need to come and motivate you to feel encouraged. I aim to be independent and stand on my feet,” she said.