A roadside shoe seller’s 17-year-old daughter in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh, made her parents and five siblings proud by entering into the merit list of State Class XII exams, whose results were announced on Monday. Madhu Arya secured 485 out of 500 marks in Science (Biology Group). In the Higher Secondary School Certificate Exam conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Secondary Education Board (MPBSE), she also secured the third position in the stream’s merit list.
A clearly proud Madhu said her ambition is to be a doctor, while her father Kanhaiyalal, who is selling shoes on a sidewalk near the local bus stop, said that the future education of his daughter will be conditional on government aid as he has a family of eight to provide for. Madhu, the second of five sisters and a brother, said she too was afraid of her future because of her family’s poverty, living in a two-room house in Harijan Basti.
“When support is provided by the government, I will fulfil my vision of being a doctor. I would like to make my family proud. I’ve been studying for medical entrance examinations,” she said. Given the house that comprises a single concrete room and a tin-shed adjacent side, Madhu said she would get up at 4 am and spend much of the day studying, the coronavirus-induced lockdown giving her time to concentrate on exam preparations.
“I want to support my daughter make her dreams come true but I’m afraid my poverty might become a barrier,” added Kanhaiyalal.
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