An elated education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hoped that such schools would be set up in every panchayat.
Shankardev Shishu Niketan or Shankardev Vidya Niketan, run by the Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan or Vidya Bharati, bagged 25 of the top positions, including the first. The Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan is the educational wing of the RSS.
Himanta said it was the dream of his “ideological family” to see a Shankardev Shishu Niketan school in every panchayat.
Giving wings to the dream was Sarfaraz Hussain of Shankardev Shishu Niketan at Betkuchi here, who stood first. Himanta arrived at the school within an hour after the results were declared to congratulate him. “We are proud of him. It is a matter of great pride that Shankardev Shishu Niketan run by Vidya Bharati has achieved such success.”
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The minister declared the government would bear the educational expenses of Sarfaraz, who comes from the weaker section of society and dreams of being an engineer, at Cotton College upto Class XII.
“Sarfaraz told me he wants to study at Cotton College,” the minister said. He added that the government would give him Rs 5 lakh by way of a fixed deposit.
“My school has played a key role in my success,” Sarfaraz said. The topper, whose father is a waiter in a restaurant in Guwahati, said Sarfaraz wanted to be a technocrat to serve society.
According to reports, the 16-year-old has also won several awards in Sanskrit essay-writing and debate competitions, apart from topping the all-Guwahati Gita recitation contest couple of years back.
Rapturous celebrations and joyous scenes were witnessed at the school, where Hussain was garlanded and honored by his teachers.
Sarfaraz said that would opt for science stream in his higher secondary education as he aspires to become an engineer.
"I am so happy today that I do not have words to express it. I would like thank my parents and school teachers for this. I have worked very hard for this, I used to study whenever I found time," he said.
He also advised the students to refrain from excessive indulgence in mobile phones and gadgets.
Hussain's father works at a hotel and his mother is a house-wife, he thanked them for supporting him in his endeavours.
Himanta assured Sarfaraz that the PWD would build the road leading to the school within a month and announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh for infrastructure development. Assam has 549 schools run by the Assam Shishu Siksha Niyas, the state branch of Vidya Bharati.
An official said that regular monthly meetings between parents and teachers to assess the students’ academic performance and other activities were the factors responsible for success of Vidya Bharati schools.
The results also brought cheer for government-run Assamese-medium schools. “I am extremely happy that the government-run schools have been able to do well. The new BJP government will make efforts to revamp education in the state and a comprehensive plan will be announced soon,” Himanta said.
Many Assamese medium schools like New Guwahati Adarsha High School, Bamunimaidam, Makum Railway Girls High School and Bongaon Higher Secondary School, Nalbari, made it to the merit list. Altogether 13 candidates from Bongaigaon district were among the toppers.
Seba chairman Dhandev Mahanta told The Telegraph that government and private schools have performed equally well. “The results are very balanced. Schools in remote parts of the state have produced toppers,” he said.
Many city-based English medium schools like St Mary’s HS School School and Sudershan Public School, Khanapara, produced toppers.
In Dibrugarh district, a record 21 students managed to secure a place in the list of top 20 rank-holders. Salt Brook School, Dibrugarh, led with 10 toppers followed by Little Flower HS School with five.
In Sivasagar, 23 students of the district stood among the rank holders.
-The Telegraph Calcutta