Girl who gave up classes over phone scores 83%

Noida: Perseverance pays. Young Arti has shown her village how.
After her phone was stolen in May last year, the 17-year-old from Parthala village had little option. There was only one smartphone in the house. And Arti, the youngest of five siblings and daughter of a general store owner who had fallen on hard times because of the lockdown, decided to give up on her online classes so that her elder sister could continue her studies.
After TOI published her story in June last year, Arti was gifted a phone by a reader. Months of toil and tenacity bore fruit on Tuesday, when Arti scored 83% in her Class 12 boards.
It wasn’t easy for Arti. The 17-year-old managed household chores and taught a small group of children in her village from 6-7pm. In the time that was left, she managed to study. A scholarship with the help of an NGO, Sadrag, saw her through.
The student of Noida Public School wants to become a lawyer and is preparing for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). But why lawyer? Arti said she had seen her parents lose their ancestral property to manipulations from relatives and lawyers hired by them in Bihar’s Begusarai.
Tailor’s daughter scores 92.4%
The daughter of a tailor from Sector 19, Divya has scored 92.4% in her Class exams. She is the second of three siblings and was admitted to Noida Public School after she came first in the Sarvhitkari School.
Her family has pinned all their hopes on her. “My father studied only till Class X. Today, he regrets his decision to pursue higher studies. All of them want me to become something,” she told TOI.
Divya’s elder sister is pursuing BCom from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). But she has been finding it difficult to communicate in English and has not been able to get any internship in the absence of experience.
“I want to study political science from a regular college as I have seen how my sister is struggling with education in the open mode,” said Divya, adding that she wants to become an IAS officer.
Tea seller’s daughter scores 72%
Shivani Kumari, whose father sells tea outside Sector 20 police station, has scored 72%. She wants to pursue BA (Hons) from Delhi University.
The struggle was similar for Shivani as well. During the lockdown, she helped her father cook meals for police officers. In between, she also earned some money from make-up sessions.