Chennai School student A. Radhika, the daughter of a sanitary worker at DGP office, secured the 3{+r}{+d} rank in the district in the SSLC examination 2011.
She emerged the topper among the 7,664 Chennai School students who cleared the examination, the results of which were declared on Friday. Radhika, a student of Chennai Girls Higher Secondary School, Shenoy Nagar, got 493 marks out of 500.
“The success has given me confidence to attain my goal of joining the Indian Administrative Service after graduation,” she says.
Her mother got the job as sanitary worker in the DGP office a few months ago. “She has been suffering a lot since my father's demise 12 years ago. He was a police constable. Earlier, my mother had to carry heavy loads of fruits from the Koyambedu market to make a living. She used to supply the fruits to small juice shops. Every glimpse of her suffering motivated me to excel in studies,” Radhika says.
“As a Chennai School student, I have benefitted from the welfare schemes of the Chennai Corporation. I have understood the importance of welfare measures on the lives of poor people. I want to serve the society as an IAS officer,” she adds.
Attributing her success to God's grace and the motivation of her teachers Nancy Saran Rose and Paul Thangam, Radhika says that there was healthy competition among her classmates to excel in the public examination.
Her classmate V. Anushuya stood second among students of Chennai Schools with a score of 490 marks. Anushya's father, an autorickshaw driver, wants his daughter to excel in engineering after higher studies. “Teachers motivated us by reminding us of the 15-day all-India tour to be organised by the Chennai Corporation for the 25 toppers this year. I wanted to be the State topper, but was able to secure only the second rank among Chennai School students,” Anushya says.
“She used to be the topper in her class. She fell sick last year. However she managed to score well because of her self-confidence,” her mother V. Jayanthi says.
F. Pravitha, who scored 489 marks and stood third among the Chennai School students, says she wants to become a doctor. She is a student of Chennai Girls HSS on M.H. Road, Perambur.
Prizes distributed
Distributing prizes to toppers, Mayor M. Subramanian said Chennai Schools registered a pass percentage of 86.3 in the SSLC examination and it was better than last year's performance. He urged parents to enrol their children in Chennai Schools.
A total of 1,438 students of Chennai Schools secured more than 400 marks. Four Chennai Schools secured centum. The schools were given prize money of Rs.1 lakh each. A total of 8,885 students of Chennai Schools had taken the examination.
