Odisha lawmaker clears Class 10 exam two decades after dropping out of school

BJD MLA Purna Chandra Swain, 49, took the Class 10 State Open School Certificate Examination this year. The results of the exam were declared on Tuesday and Swain secured 68% marks

Published on: Aug 25, 2021, 11:18:08 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Over two decades after he dropped out of school as he failed to clear his Class 10 exam and started driving passenger buses in Odisha’s Ganjam district, ruling Biju Janata Dal lawmaker Purna Chandra Swain, 49, has finally cleared the test.

He took the Class 10 State Open School Certificate Examination this year. The results of the exam were declared on Tuesday and Swain secured 68% marks. He scored 340 marks out of 500. Swain secured the highest marks in painting (85) followed by home science (83), Odia (67), social sciences (61), and English (44).

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The three-time lawmaker dropped out of school in Berhampur in 1997 after several unsuccessful attempts to clear the Class 10 examination. Swain said he sought to clear the exam after his Congress opponent Sangram Mohanty repeatedly mocked him over his lack of formal education. “After I defeated him in the 2019 assembly elections, Sangram mocked me saying I was Class 9 pass. I wanted to give a befitting reply,” said Swain.

Swain enrolled in the Odisha State Open School started in 2016 to allow dropouts a chance to clear the Class 10 exam without attending schools. “Despite my busy schedule amid the Covid pandemic, I took time off to study. My daughter, who has just cleared her higher secondary school exam in science, too helped me,” said Swain.

He said he would now enrol for Class 11 and later seek admission to a college. “I know how important it is to be educated. I do not want anyone to mock me,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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