An urge to help his village has forced a 70-year-old resident of Junagadh, Gujarat to sit in Class 10 examination, 55 years after he quit studies, a Times of India report says.
Parbat Makwana, a father of seven, is appearing for his boards from Gyanbharti School in Junagadh to serve the people of his village,
Inspired by his 101-year-old mother, Makwana, who runs a students’ hostel and serves as vice-president of district Congress, believes there’s nothing more important than education.
“Despite a tight schedule, I made sure to dedicate two hours to study every day. And I did not feel the need to take up coaching despite taking up studies after so many years….they showed me the syllabus for class 10. For math exam, students of the hostel taught me sums till 3 am. And I have to live up to their teaching,” he told TOI.
While the examinations has brought back his childhood memories, Makwana is critical of the study material being taught to children in schools currently.
“Emphasis should be more on quality of education as students don’t even remember what they have been taught,” Makwana, whose three sons and four daughters are well-educated, said.
With his favourite subject being Sanskrit, Makwana has had tough time with dealing Mathematics.
The rare student has drawn praise and appreciation from the teachers and academics.
“This sets a great example that there is no age to learning something new, it is just that the person has to be willing to take up challenges. He has also set an example for the youngsters who leave studies half way,” BS Panchal, exam secretary for Class 10 of Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, told the newspaper.
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