Scoring from the margins: Children of waste-picker, driver, guard defy odds in HSC challenge

Bachute, a student of Shri Shivaji Vidyalaya, has had a meritorious record, having scored 70.20 per in Class 10. At home, she is the eldest of three sisters and a brother.

In the case of Prajwala Raju Ohol, her mother Sujata is the lone earning member of the family, working as a waste-picker, as her father Raju is paralysed. “Many a time, I offered to help my mother, given the burden she is carrying, but she refused,” Ohol said. A student of Shri Mhalsakant School and Junior College, Ohol scored 77 per cent in the Commerce stream. “My eldest brother is in college while the younger one is in school. I want to join the state administrative services,” she said.

Sonali Rama Bhende scored 40.83 per cent in the Commerce stream. A student of AM college in Manjri, Sonali lost her father at a young age. Her mother Ratnama Ram Bhende is waste-picker in Shewalwadi and “has always supported” her education. “I lost my father when I was in Class 5 and it was my mother who stood as a rock behind me, constantly motivating me to study and dream big,” Sonali said, adding that she is undecided about her future.

Balaji Vilas Shinde secured 69.33 percent in the Arts stream from Mamasaheb Mohol Vidyalay in Vitthal Nagar. Shinde’s father works as a security guard at RMD College and mother as a housekeeper at Mahila Ashram Vidyalaya. “I want to join the police and fulfill my mother’s dream,” he said.

Aditya Vyas, treasurer of the Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPK), said many of the students from marginalised communities belong to single-parent families and face hardships due to cramped living conditions in slums. “With limited access to competitive coaching classes and a lack of resources, their determination and perseverance have been their guiding lights, propelling them to overcome these obstacles and achieve remarkable results,” he said.