These students have proved that disability or economic condition cannot hold them back from pursuing their dreams.

Sixteen-year-old Mayank Bhardwaj, a visually challenged student, scored 9.2 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) in the class 10 board exams. “I want to become an IAS officer,” says the teenager, who studies in DAV Public School in Vasant Kunj.

“I used to study six to eight hours on weekends and two to three hours on weekdays,” he adds.

But the teenager says that the number of hours does not matter. “One should study with full concentration whether for long hours or a few hours.”

He gives credit to his family for his success. “My parents and my brother have been very supportive,” Mayank says. His teachers say they knew he would do well. “He was always seen studying. We knew he would fare well in the boards,” says DAV Public School principal Anju Puri.

Mayank’s parents say he has made them proud. “We are happy that he hasn’t let his disability stand in his way,” his father K P Sharma says.

Sharma says he used to drag Mayank for a walk because he would not go out. “I used to take him out to refresh his mind.”

Another visually challenged student has shown that disability is no bar for him. Shivam Agarwal has scored 8.6 CGPA in class 10.

He belongs to the Economic Weaker Section category. Shivam stays in a hostel at the National Association for Blind campus in R K Puram.

“I feel happy and I give credit to my family and my teachers both in the hostel and school,” says Shivam, who studies in Salwan Public School in Rajendra Nagar.

“At the end, the school’s teaching method is what matters. I would like to thank my teachers for my result. As much as it is my dedication towards studies, it is their hard work as well. They believed in me from the very beginning,” Shivam adds.

His father came from Rohtak in Haryana to greet him. “We are proud of him and we want him to do well in life. We will support him in every possible way,” says his father Subhash Agarwal, who sells rice for a living. Shivam’s mother is a homemaker.

“The school sponsors his education. We knew he would do well,” headmistress of the school Anuradha Mathur says.

A total of 997 disabled students appeared for the class 10 board exams this year. Out of them, 113 were visually challenged.

A total of 13,27,250 students took the class 10 exams across the country, and 76,900 scored a perfect 10 CGPA.

Boys outshone girls in scoring 10 CGPA – 40,546 boys got 10 CGPA and 36,354 girls secured 10 CGPA.