B Shanta.
Credit: Government high school, Nituvalli
Davangere: In a rare feat, B Shanta, cancer survivor, scored 93.44 per cent in the Karnataka SSLC examinations, the results of which were announced on Friday, and thus brought laurels to her government high school at Nituvalli in the city. She was tested positive for leukemia when she was in the grade 9th in 2023.
Basavaraj, her father who is a construction worker, struggled to mobilise funds for his daughter's treatment. The school took the initiative in mobilising funds from donors to ensure she gets quality treatment on time.
People from various sections of the society voluntarily donated money. Shanta was under treatment in a private hospital in Mangaluru fore more than ten months, and thus had to miss her classes. After recovery, she was determined to do well in academics and started preparing for the SSLC examinations.
In an exclusive chat with DH, Shantha B said "as I had missed classes of 9th grade, I had to study for hours together since the beginning. So I was studying from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm on a regular basis. The teachers also provided much-needed guidance. The special classes were conducted from January after the regular class hours. I attended special classes conducted by all subject teachers till 8:00 pm in the school. This proved highly beneficial for me to do well in SSLC."
On future plans, she said she wants to study Science in pre-university and her goal is to become an IAS officer one day. "One needs power to help the needy. I strongly believe that IAS officers have the power to help poor people," she said.
Asha, Shanta's mother who works as maid, told DH she was thrilled to know her daughter has fared well in SSLC examinations. Shanta has two sisters.
Jayappa, one of her teachers, told DH that all those who lent a helping hand for Shanta's medical treatment are on cloud nine after she scored 93.44 per cent in SSLC examinations.
He also mentioned that Rs 15 lakh was spent for the treatment of Shanta with the help of donors and Rs 3 lakh has been earmarked for medicine she would require. We will ensure that she does well in PU examinations.
Shanta's score card
Kannada-122
English-85
Hindi-90
Science-94
Social science- 99
Mathematics-94