Sukhoranjan Rai, a labourer from West Bengal, is an elated man. His son, Bapi Rai, scored an A+ in all the subjects of the SSLC Class 10 examinations, the results of which were announced on Thursday.
Bapi, who studied at PTMYHSS School at Edappalam in Palakkad, thought he would get an A+ in five, or if he pushed it, six subjects. “But we, his family, were sure he’d get an A+ in all the subjects,” gushes Sukhoranjan to TNM. “The whole family is very excited. We’ve informed all our relatives in Bengal and everyone is so happy.”
Bapi is planning to join the Science stream in Class 11. “My parents were sure that I would get an A+ in all my subjects, but I wasn’t … My father is my hero and my parents made all the arrangements for my studies,” Bapi told Mathrubhumi News.
A construction worker, Sukhoranjan came to Kerala 18 years ago. He first tried his luck with some jobs in Kochi, but later moved to Palakkad. The family now lives in Ottapalam and Sukhoranjan travels to work.
Bapi Rai with parents, older brother and Muhammed Muhsin MLA , courtesy: MLA's FB Page
“We are happy with the education system in Kerala and the facilities we get here. When I shifted my family to Kerala, I was worried about my children’s education, if they would be able to adjust with the system here. Initially, they had issues, but everything was on track after that,” Sukhoranjan says.
The family arranged Malayalam tuition for Bapi and his older brother, Surjith. “We owe so much to Binitha, the tuition teacher. I am not rich, but still I made sure I did everything I could for my children’s studies. If they demanded something and I could not arrange for it, I would find a way to do it the next day. My priority is my children’s education,” says Sukhoranjan.
Surjith is currently studying at NSS College, Ottapalam, with Hindi as his main subject.
The staff at the PTMYHSS is thrilled with Bapi’s achievement. “We were all apprehensive about how he would do when he joined, but he’s done so well. He used to tell us he’d get an A+ in 5 or 6 subjects. But we all expected so much more from him. He had the whole-hearted support of his teachers and family,” says Ibrahim, a senior clerk in the school. Bapi studied till Class 2 in Bengal, but he had to repeat Class 1 when he moved to Kerala.