M. Kiruthiga and her classmate N.M. Hema Barathi came for the MBBS counselling on Wednesday with their headmaster.
Their school, Little Angels Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Aniyapuram, Namakkal, will pay for their medical education for the next five years.
Kiruthiga who was ranked 12 in the merit list, with a score of 1,181 and a cut-off of 199.75, was admitted to Madras Medical College. Kiruthiga is a first-generation learner and her father Madheswaran works in a lorry workshop.
Kiruthiga’s brother, Sarma, who is in his second year of engineering at the Coimbatore Institute of Technology, was also a topper from the same school.
Kiruthiga’s father did not accompany her to Chennai as he could not take a day off from work, according to her mother, Rajeswari. She was among the 14 students with a cut-off of 199.75 marks and was ranked first in the Tamil medium.
“Kiruthiga topped her class in the class X examinations with 489 marks at the Government High School in Aniyapuram and we offered her a free seat in our school,” said E.K. Muthusamy, the headmaster of Little Angels.
The school picks out meritorious students and offers them scholarships. “The school is 23 years old. Around six years ago, we set up a trust to help students,” he said.
Hema Barathi’s father S. Marimuthu was a businessman who was disabled after a stroke.
He cannot speak clearly. Hema Barathi, with a cut-off of 199 marks, was ranked 229 on the merit list.
“Since her father is unable to work, we have decided to fund her education,” Mr. Muthusamy said. She has been admitted to Stanley Medical College.
