Tamil Nadu tribal girl, for whom Kerala ran a special bus, scores 95% in boards

Guwahati: A 16-year-old girl from Tamil Nadu's Tirupur district has become the first in her community to secure 95 percent in class 10 board exams, despite all odds.

C Sreedevi, a resident of Poochukottamparai tribal settlement in Udumalpet range of Annamalai Tiger Reserve, went to Nayaranagadi model residential school in Kerala's Chalakudy. She has decided to pursue higher secondary education, a rare feat for girls from her community, as most tribal students from her village discontinue education after elementary or middle school.

"From class 1 I have studied in Kerala and the teachers there have been very supportive and only because of that I was able to get full A plus in my class 10," she told media. Notably, Sreedevi's tribal settlement is located in an area that has poor road connectivity, no electricity, and no mobile network. However, Sreedevi had returned to her settlement when the lockdown was imposed.

About a month ago, to ensure that Sreedevi could attend her remaining exams, the Kerala government had intervened and arranged a special bus to ferry her from the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border to the school.

It has been reported that Sreedevi and her father had to travel nearly 80 Km in two-wheeler to reach the check post. "Including Sreedevi's mother, many have asked me to stop her education and make her get into work like my elder child. But I will make Sreedevi study as much as she wants. I have a child after Sreedevi, I want him to study as well. They need a life beyond this settlement," stated M Chellamuthu, Sreedevi's father, who is a farmer by profession.

Anamalai tiger reserve forest field assistant director Xavier honored Sreedevi with a scarf and a watch and she will also be rewarded with a laptop, reports said.  

ALSO WATCH: #NewsMakers: Aabhijeet Sharma, President, APW in an Exclusive Chat with Oineetom Ojah