At education awards, lessons in grit
BREAKING BARRIERS Govt awards students with special needs I don’t like using a wheelchair. So, standing was my only option...overall, I scored 76.6%. I felt very happy. All my hard work paid off RIYA CHOWDHURY, suffers from a rare disease
NEWDELHI:“I attended my classes while standing for up to five hours due to my condition,” said 18-year-old Riya Chowdhury who suffers from a rare disease, fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) that restricts her movement. “I don’t like using a wheelchair. So, standing was my only option.”
She gave her class 12 examinations last year standing too, with a one-hour relaxation. When the results came in May 2018, she topped her school Government Girls Senior Secondary School Janta Flats Nand Nagri in the political science subject with 94%. “Overall, I scored 76.6%. I felt very happy. All my hard work paid off,” Chowdhury said.
On Wednesday, the Delhi government recognised Chowdhury and 33 others under the Children With Special Needs category at the Excellence in Education Awards 2018.
KM Preeti, a partially-visually challenged student who scored 80% in her board examinations and now a student of Lady Shri Ram College, said that her school teachers put in extra effort for her.
“There was no discrimination in my school,” she said. “But when I entered college, I got equipment like magnifying glass and laptops. I wish these were available in schools too.”
“This is the happiest day of my life,” Ajay Gupta, a student of Jormal Periwal Memorial Senior Secondary School for the Blind, said. “I had expected to score above 90 in every subject but I got 89 in Hindi. But I am still happy.”
Organised by the Directorate of Education (DOE) in Thyagaraj Sports Complex, the event felicitated 162 meritorious students who performed well in their Class 10 and 12 examination. The event also felicitated 27 schools under different categories including best school for state, best Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, district and zonal best schools.
Deputy chief minister and education minister Manish Sisodia, Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev, Education Secretary Sandeep Kumar, Director (Education) Sanjay Goel, and AAP MLA Madan Lal were present at the event.
Sisodia said the city’s government schools were focussing on imparting education and ensuring proper schooling, instead of pure academics. Speaking on the Entrepreneurship curricu- lum which will be launched from the next session for classes 9 to 12, he said, “Giving jobs to unemployed youths or entrepreneurship should be considered as equivalent to patriotism.”
He also said that no country could become a superpower if the youth are majorly job seekers.
The award for state best government school went to Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Ramesh Nagar. It received a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. “Apart from academic excellence our school also focuses on extracurricular activities including badminton, kho-kho, basketball and table tennis,” Ritu Sawhney, principal of the school, said.
GGSSS in Shahbad Daulatpur, SV in Sector 9 Rohini, SKV in B-block Janakpuri, GSKV in Nilothi, SKV in Ghitorni, Govt SKV in Deendar Pur and ATSBV in Chhattarpur were among the best district-wise schools.