The CBSE class twelve exams have high stakes for many students from middle class families. For them it is a passport to a good future. K Vijaykumar of Chennai ranks first in the list of candidates nationwide who sat for the CBSE Class 12 exams. He’s scored a mind-boggling 490 marks out of 500, just 10 short of a perfect 100 per cent. Two years ago he had topped the Class 10 exams. Vijay dreams of joining the IIT. He comes from a lower middle class family of government employees that cannot afford hefty capitation fees for admission in private colleges.
With no tuitions he says he put in eight hours of systematic hard work every day. For Vijay a spectacular performance in the Class 12 exams was the only way he could ensure a rapid change in his family’s economic condition in the future. “I look at this as the only way middle class students can go above their present status. This is our last weapon,” said Vijaykumar. Schools like DAV Boys Senior Secondary School have produced many bright students over the years. And authorities say the recent scrapping of the common entrance test for admission to professional colleges in Tamil Nadu has intensified competition among CBSE students.
“The competition is so severe even a fraction of a mark counts,” said C Sathish, Principal D A V Boys Senior Secondary School. It’s a paradigm shift. Middle class students look at a very good performance in class twelve exams as a passport to their success, not just for their academic pursuits but for their economic prosperity as well. Source: NDTV
