SSC results: Girl who travelled 40km daily scores 1,283 out of 1,300

A girl, who had to travel 20 kilometres back and forth daily from her home to her school, has scored 1,283 out of 1,300 in this year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations.

The student, Mst. Shornali Akter Dristy, sat for the SSC examinations in the Science group from BAF Shaheen College, Bogura.

A total of 22,327 students received GPA-5 under the Rajshahi Education Board this year, and she stands out among a very few exceptional students, becoming the talk of the town.

As the family could not afford to live in the town, Shornali Akter, daughter of vegetable vendor Md Delowar Hossin from Lakshmikola-Chak Gopalpara village in Shibganj upazila of Bogura, had to travel 40 kilometres back and forth daily from her home to the school by van and bus. She wants to become a physician in future.

Shornali Akter got the expected because of her indomitable will and hard work. Now, everyone including family members, teachers, fellow students and neighbours are praising her.

She said, “I did very well in examinations. I expected that I would score between 1,270 and 1,280, but I received 1,283. It feels good to get more than I expected.”

She studied 9-10 hours daily and her parents made the biggest contribution to her results. Though she is not from a well-off family, she enrolled at one of renowned institutions in the district. Family somehow managed her study expenses. Teachers also encouraged her to achieve good results.

“My family could not afford my accommodation in the town since the father’s vegetable trade was the sources of family earning. I first rode a van to reach Mokamtala Bondar despite the difficulties, and then I took a bus ride to college. I got habituated despites all miseries,” said Shornali Akter.

“Amid the family’s financial crisis, it was expensive to study at a renowned institution of the town. I also needed tutoring. Altogether it cost a lot every month, and the family struggled to manage it, but my parents never let me feel it. I want to become a humanitarian physician in future and want to serve the people,” she added.

Shornali Akter's father Delowar Hossin said he runs the family from his income from veritable business. His family is not a well-off one, but he never let his children feel the hardship. His elder son joined police after completing study at a university. He wants his daughter to become a physician in future. As his daughter studied following the advices of her teachers, he just provided study expenses.

Her mother Rabeya Sultana said, “They family had financial crisis, but we never let our daughter understand it. A congenial environment for study is essential for achieving a good result, and we ensured it all the time. Shornali had always been interested in study, we as parents encouraged her all the time.”

BAF Shaheen College Bogura principal Group Captain Santanu Chowdhury said teachers at their institution encourage students all the time to dream big. In addition to regularly take care of the students, they also emphasised extra-curricular activities to achieve better results.

This year, their student Shornali astounded everyone with a brilliant performance achieving the highest number in SSC examinations at Rajshahi Education Board and the second highest in the country. They are proud of her. She was very hard working on her study, so she got results, the principal added.

According to sources at the Rajshahi Education Board, 77.63 per cent of students passed this year’s SSC examinations with Bogura seeing a highest of 83.50 per cent. As many as 22,327 students, including 5,900 from Bogura, achieved GPA-5.

Rajshahi Education Board controller of exams Ariful Islam told Prothom Alo the education board no longer prepares any merit list, so there is no record of who scores atop. But, if any student scores 1283 out of 1300, it is certainly an accomplishment, he added.

This report appeared in the online editions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna