SHILLONG, June 10: A girl from a rural school about 25 km from Shillong and a boy from the remote area of Dalu have upstaged students of premier institutes in urban areas to top the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations, the results of which were announced on Friday.
Amebaaihunsa Kharbhih, of St Paul’s Higher Secondary School, shared the first position in the SSLC examinations with Arghadeep Saha of Woodland School, Dalu.
Teachers and students celebrated Amebaaihunsa’s success with songs and dance.
She said she was focused on her dream of topping the examinations and worked hard for it. “During the pandemic, there were difficulties with online classes due to poor internet connection. But I overcame it by completing all assignments given to me,” she said. Giving credit to her parents and teachers for her success, she said she used the internet solely for watching educational videos on YouTube and did not spend time on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter.
“Work hard on whatever you are aiming for and don’t let anything come in your way,” she advised the younger students.
Amebaaihunsa’s mother, a homemaker, said her daughter has been a topper since she was in Class 6.
“We could not afford her education in an elite school in the city. We gave her whatever we could within our means and she worked hard to make us feel proud of her today,” she said.
Arghadeep Saha, son of government employee Pratap Saha and school teacher Mahua Saha, made the entire state take notice of Dalu, a border town, by becoming the joint SSLC topper this year.
The extent of the achievement can be gauged from the fact that the school declared a two-day holiday after he and Biambong Sangma (rank 11) figured in the top 20.
Speaking from Guwahati, where he is currently studying, Arghadeep thanked God for his achievements while adding that the results were unexpected, although he was confident of doing well.
He said his parents helped him at every turn and he invested time (12-14 hours) in studies after the school was shut down during the pandemic.
“Online classes were beneficial as teachers provided us with the help that was required. I am blessed that I had such friendly and knowledgeable teachers to help me through. All my teachers in Dalu and Tura contributed equally towards my success,” Arghadeep said.
On his preparations, he said he did not overthink and concentrated on working hard for his goals. His next goal is to crack the NEET for a medical course.
Calling his parents his backbone, Arghadeep said they stood like a rock behind him. His teachers were not far behind in helping him in all aspects of his education.
He loves to read books and write stories and poems.
He said he faced problems with technical facilities in Dalu, particularly due to long hours of power cuts.
