14-year-old daughter of Gurgaon guard aces Class 10 exams

The daily struggles of her economically weak family, the burden of expectations on her shoulders and her Hindi medium background did not come in the way of 14-year-old Apeksha Singh’s scoring 9.8 CGPA in CBSE Class 10 examination.

The daily struggles of her economically weak family, the burden of expectations on her shoulders and her former Hindi medium background did not come in the way of 14-year-old Apeksha Singh’s scoring 9.8 CGPA in CBSE Class 10 examination.

Apeksha studied in Hindi medium till class 5, but she shifted to English medium after getting a scholarship. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The daughter of a security guard, Apeksha defied odds and scored 9.8 CGP in the class 10 CBSE examinations. The results of the exams were announced on May 30.

Apeksha is a student of Drona Public School in Sector 9. She aced in four out of five subjects with a perfect 10 CGPA including science, mathematics, English and Hindi. She secured 9 CGPA in social science. Even though life has been a daily struggle, Apeksha says that nothing is impossible if a person is determined.

“I did not even have the basic facilities to study. There were nights when streetlights were my only solace, but I was determined to get good scores and it happened. I used to study only three hours a day and take extra classes for mathematics,” Apeksha said.

Apeksha’s father earns Rs 10,000 a month and sustains his family of five on this meagre income. Apeksha was earlier studying in a Hindi medium school, but, as she was an excellent student, she was awarded a scholarship by DLF Foundation and shifted to the English medium Drona Public School from class 6.

“It was difficult to shift from a Hindi medium school to an English medium one. I was nervous but my mother has taught me to never doubt my abilities. Soon, I picked up the language and started speaking in English with my classmates,” she said.

Apeksha, who wants to become a doctor, says she is devoting more hours to academics after entering Class 11.

“I want to be a surgeon and help people. I have taken the science stream in Class 11. Since I cannot afford tuitions for all subjects, I take notes and revise them at home. My mother supports me a lot and I do not want to let my family down,” Apeksha said.

She wishes to provide education to her two sisters, who are in class 7 and nursery. Stating that her father always wanted a son, Apeksha said that she would fulfil every dream of her parents and provide them a secure future.

“I do not want my father to think that having a son would have helped him have a safe future. I will study and ensure that my sisters study too. Together we will build a new and bigger home and fulfil all the dreams of our father,” she said.