While it is common for most candidates appearing for the all-important SSLC exam to be nervous on the first day, candidates in one of the examination halls at the Old Fort High School here on Friday appeared to have more creases on their forehead than the rest.
This examination hall hosted repeaters and the candidates included homemakers and government employees, hoping to clear the exam at least this time.
Each one of them had interesting stories to tell on why they are taking the exam.
For instance, 45-year-old Dolla Ram, a pawn broker, prepared for the exam with his son, who also wrote the exam.
“There was tension at home as we were following a strict study schedule so that we could fare well,” Mr. Dolla Ram said.
However, Mr. Dolla Ram, who has three subjects as backlog, made a few candid admissions: “I generally nag my children urging them to study well. But after preparing for a few days, I realised how hard it is. I would probably allow them to take it easy in the next few days.” He is also confident that his son will fare better than him.
“I am familiar with the digits as my profession demands it. However, writing sentences is a little hard for me as I studied only till class four before dropping out as my parents wanted me to work,” he said.
Asked what his motivation was, he said, “I just want to be an ‘SSLC pass’.”
However, others have more serious and urgent reasons to clear the exam. For 45-year-old Prabhavati, an employee of the United India Insurance Company Limited, clearing the SSLC exam will be the gateway to a promotion.
“I am a sub-staff now, and if I clear the exam, I would get an additional Rs. 4,000 a month. I need the money for the medical expenses of my brother, who is ill,” Ms. Prabhavati said.
She has appeared for the exam five times earlier and is hoping that she clears it this year. But a multi-tasking Ms. Prabhavati said that her responsibilities at home and office leaves her with very little time for study.
“Both my office and home cannot run without me. This one week things are going to be difficult for my children and for my office colleagues as I would have to devote time to my studies,” she said.
Another candidate Bhagyalakshmi Kempanna (32) said that her motivation to apply for the exam was to improve her qualification so that her one-year-old baby would not have a hard time during school admission. “These days, schools ask for the qualification of parents too and I do not want to cut a sorry face during school admission of my child,” Ms. Kempanna said, with an optimistic smile.
