Ten years after she sat down for Tamil Nadu State Board Class XII examinations, S. Sangavi has turned her failure into success.
In 2014, Sangavi, 26 years old now, could not clear Class XII, having failed in economics. That same year she lost all her original certificates and she could not apply for re-examination.
“I could not apply for duplicate certificates as well,” says Sangavi, who was a student of Government Higher Secondary School in Maduravoyal.
Learning Tally, she got a job in a clinic.
“Every time I was rejected in an interview, I had this lingering feeling that I should complete my Class XII,” she says.
Early this year, she found the documents, They had been lying at a relative’s house, and they were discovered when the family was shifting to a new house. “One of the first things I did was inform Viji ma’am from Muthal Thalaimurai Trust who was in touch with me, nudging me to complete my Class XII for long,” says Sangavi.
Two solid months of preparation helped Sangavi score 120 in economics.
“I had lost all confidence about studying for and writing an exam. But for the support from family members and the Trust, I would not have achieved this,” she says.
Her fiancée, R. Vignesh, who has a B.Com degree, also played a key role in Sangavi’s achievement . “I could not take leave often from work to enquire about the exam, so it was Vignesh who did all the running round. Every morning the wake-up call would be to check if I had completed the task for the previous day,” says Sangavi, adding that she next wants to get a degree in Bachelor in Business Administration.
From failure to success: Free coaching centre in Vyasarpadi has many success stories to its credit
Nine students from Dr. Ambedkar Pagutharivu Padasalai, a free tuition centre in Vysarpadi, appeared for the Class XII Board examinations and the results managed by two students are now the toast of the institute.
Nanda Gopal and Thareen Begun has failed to clear the Class XI examinations and had to take the supplementary exams as well as appear for Class XII boards in a back-to-back schedule.
“First, these students are given considerable pep talk: we tell them it is okay they failed and they can succeed if they put in efforts,” says S. Vijayalakshmi, a teacher-volunteer with the centre for the last eight years. The centre is an initiative of Vyasai Thozhargal, a community of over 50 volunteers from the locality.
Besides positivity, the students received helpful study material and an environment for quiet study. “Thareen, for instance, had arrears in three subjects including Tamil which is toughest for her. She would forget what she learnt, so she would come to the centre in morning to study with a fresh mind,” says Vijayalakshmi.
Students were asked to write and learn to remember better.
“The day after I took the XI Tamil paper, I had to write XII Tamil exam, a nightmare. But the way the teachers encouraged me, I got the confidence to face those tough days,” says Thareen, who wants to pursue BA History.
“In the previous years, we have had students from other localities, not associated with the centre, approaching us and seeking help to prepare for supplementary examinations,” says the teacher.
The Education Department conducts supplementary exams and many students are enrolled for one-month coaching. Vijayalakshmi says the centre has 13 teacher-volunteers who take classes for students from class 1 onwards.
