Prince Kumar has topped Delhi government schools in Class 12 exams conducted by CBSE
In July last year, Prince Kumar was diagnosed with stage 1 tuberculosis. Now, the 17-year-old has topped Delhi government schools in the Class 12 board exams conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), scoring 97 per cent marks.
Prince, the son of a bus driver with the Delhi Transport Corporation, has scored 100 per cent in Maths and 99 per cent in Economics.
"Everybody in my family broke down when I was diagnosed with TB but my father consoled me. I used to have fever all day and my body became very weak. I had trouble studying but my parents supported me constantly," Prince told NDTV.
Prince is still battling the after-effects of TB wants to join the armed forces, inspired by his late grandfather who was an engineer with the navy. But fearing that he may not clear the tough medical tests, he has a Plan B ready. He has already cleared the first round for the entrance examinations for IIT and awaits the results for the second round.
Prince's father Manoj Kumar who earns Rs 26,000 a month and takes care of a family of four is grateful that Delhi government charges Rs. 20 as monthly school fees.
"We had to stay awake with him. Since he was unwell, after coming back from work I would enquire about his health, take him to the doctor. It took a lot of effort but I am glad it worked out well in the end. I am very proud of him," said Mr Kumar.
Delhi has 1100 government schools and 1700 private schools. This time, Delhi government schools have scored the best result in 20 years. With a pass percentage of 90.64 per cent, they have outdone private schools in the national capital (pass percentage of 88.35) for the second year in a row.
The Delhi government said it tried to ensure that the examinees remained stress free.
"We introduced special classes even in vacations and arranged one-on-one interactions with teachers and that is why the results have been so good. 168 government schools have scored a pass percentage of 100. This has been a combined effort of parents and teachers, said Education Minister Manish Sisodia.
Last month, the Delhi government had targeted the lieutenant governor (LG) and the centre that has sacked nine advisers, including Atishi Marlena who had been working as Mr Sisodia's adviser to revamp the state of education in government-run schools.
Responding to a tweet from the LG that congratulated students and teachers for the results this year, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal raked up the issue once again.