Meet the First Student to Pass Class 10 in This UP Village Since Independence

Transcript

00:00No student from this UP village had ever passed Class 10th until he did.

00:05The 2025 UP board results declared on 25th April 2025 marked a milestone for thousands of students.

00:12But for this remote village of 300, mostly Dalit residents, it meant a breakthrough.

00:17When 15-year-old Ram Keval from UP's Nizampur passed his boards with 53.6%,

00:22he became the first student from his village to clear the Class 10th exam since independence.

00:27With the dream to become an engineer, Ram Keval used to earn Rs 250 to 300 a day

00:32by carrying lights at wedding processions.

00:35Even after returning home late, he would study for at least two hours each night under a solar lamp.

00:41The eldest of four siblings, he studied at the Government Intercollege in Ahmedpur.

00:45He told us how villagers once mocked him, doubting if he would ever pass high school.

00:50Today, those same villagers have pledged to educate their own children.

00:54His mother, Pushpa, a cook at the village school, told us she studied only till Class 5,

00:59but always believed her son would succeed.

01:01His father, Jagdish, a daily wage labourer, added that he never went to school,

01:05but always encouraged his son to focus on studies.

01:09The district magistrate, Shashank Tripathi, honoured Ram Keval and his parents

01:12in assured support for his further education.

01:15And now, because of Ram Keval, others who couldn't clear the exam in 2025 are now trying again.

01:24Thank you for joining us.