Lucknow :A 13 year old daughter of a poor labourer in Uttar Pradesh has baffled everybody by galloping to a masters programme in microbiology,but at this age she should be in school.
Sushma Verma was the youngest ever to pass class 12 exams, at just over 9 years. Now the teen prodigy has finished her graduation and has been named in the merit list for microbiology at the Lucknow University.She begins her masters classes next week.
Sushmas father Tej Bahadur Verma, a daily wage labourer, earns barely two hundred rupees a day to feed a family of five.But when he saw his daughters name on the merit list, he paid the initial fee of Rs.25,000 instantly, not thinking about the rest,at least 75,000 rupees to be paid later.The family had to sell their land to pay for Sushmas education.
At their one room home in Lucknow, their most precious possessions are a study table and a second hand computer.
"I think education is important for my children, so I didnot hesitate in selling the land. We never got the chance to study,I donot want my children to work as labourers, I will do whatever I can to educate them," says Verma.
It took three years of college for Sushma to get used to studying with big boys and girls. At first, it was intimidating but everyone was really nice to me, so I was okay, she smiles.
Many at her college are shocked to see a senior who looks little more than a schoolgirl.
She is much younger, but I will give her the respect any senior deserves,said Renu Rathore, a third year science student and a year junior to Sushma.
Sushma wants to be a doctor and tried for medical college after school but was just too young. Now she plans to give her dream another shot when she turns 18. Age, she says, is just a number.
Sushmas father Tej Bahadur Verma, a daily wage labourer, earns barely two hundred rupees a day to feed a family of five.But when he saw his daughters name on the merit list, he paid the initial fee of Rs.25,000 instantly, not thinking about the rest,at least 75,000 rupees to be paid later.The family had to sell their land to pay for Sushmas education.
At their one room home in Lucknow, their most precious possessions are a study table and a second hand computer.
"I think education is important for my children, so I didnot hesitate in selling the land. We never got the chance to study,I donot want my children to work as labourers, I will do whatever I can to educate them," says Verma.
It took three years of college for Sushma to get used to studying with big boys and girls. At first, it was intimidating but everyone was really nice to me, so I was okay, she smiles.
Many at her college are shocked to see a senior who looks little more than a schoolgirl.
She is much younger, but I will give her the respect any senior deserves,said Renu Rathore, a third year science student and a year junior to Sushma.
Sushma wants to be a doctor and tried for medical college after school but was just too young. Now she plans to give her dream another shot when she turns 18. Age, she says, is just a number.
Referred from: NewsKarnataka
Funds pour in for Lucknow wonder kid
“Sushma’s future is secure as far as her studies are concerned”
Nobody will grudge the accolades earned by Lucknow’s child prodigy, Sushma Verma, and the offer of financial help from individuals and organisations for pursuing her studies. As the 13-year-old wonder kid basks in the glory of becoming the youngest student to pursue a Master’s course — M.Sc. in Microbiology from Lucknow University — it’s raining funds for her. After noted film lyricist and one with a strong “Lakhnavi” connection, Javed Akhtar; a U.S.-based executive working with the Microsoft Corporation; and a Kolhapur-based charitable organisation, SKA Foundation, offered financial assistance to her, financial help for Ms. Verma has now come from Sulabh International.
The NGO has decided to adopt the child prodigy and will provide all possible assistance to her for pursuing higher studies. “The founder of Sulabh Sanitation movement, Bindeshwari Pathak, will honour Sushma Verma with a cash reward of Rs. 5 lakh when he visits Lucknow next week,” said Manoj Jha, adviser to Sulabh International. She had been described as a great motivator for children by the Sulabh founder, Mr. Jha added.
“Assistance has also been offered by Sunny Fernandez from Kuwait, Pradeep Agarwal from Goldrush, Lucknow; Shubodeep Kundu from Kolkata and Dr. Vinayak Prasad from the World Health Organisation for further studies. Sushma’s future is absolutely secure as far as her studies are concerned,” Manoj Dixit, Chief Proctor of Lucknow University, told The Hindu.
A tough road
Times have been hard for the Verma family. Sushma Verma’s father, Tej Bahadur, is a daily wage labourer and it was difficult for him to meet the expenses for her admission to Lucknow University. He had to sell one bigha of land to pay the first instalment of about Rs. 25,000 to confirm a seat in the university. The child prodigy’s name appeared in the second cut-off merit list for postgraduate courses declared on August 26. The family used to live in a dingy single room accommodation in St. Meera’s Inter College on Kanpur road, but they were asked to vacate the premises about two months ago. Ms. Verma now lives with her parents in a single room in Bargawan village.
Professor Manoj Dixit said the university was arranging for a suitable accommodation where the girl could live with her parents. He said the parents and the girl herself were not inclined to her living in a hostel along with students of a different age group. Ms. Verma passed her Class 10 (High School) examination from St. Meera’s College at the age of 7 and Intermediate at the age of 10. She pursued B.Sc. in Zoology and Botany from CMS Degree College. Her brother Shailendra holds the distinction of being the youngest Computer Science graduate at the age of 14.
Referred from: thehindu
13-year-old Indian girl begins microbiology master’s
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — In a country where many girls are still discouraged from going to school, Sushma Verma is having anything but a typical childhood.
The 13-year-old girl from a poor family in north India has enrolled in a master’s degree in microbiology, after her father sold his land to pay for some of his daughter’s tuition in the hope of catapulting her into India’s growing middle class.
Sushma Verma, 13, does her homework as she sits on a staircase in Lucknow, India. Pic: AP.
Verma finished high school at 7 and earned an undergraduate degree at age 13 — milestones she said were possible only with the sacrifices and encouragement of her uneducated and impoverished parents.
“They allowed me to do what I wanted to do,” Verma said in an interview Sunday, speaking her native language of Hindi. “I hope that other parents don’t impose their choices on their children.”
Sushma lives a very modest life with her three younger siblings and her parents — eating, sleeping and studying alongside them in a cramped single-room apartment in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.
Their only income is her father’s daily wage of up to 200 rupees (less than $3.50) for laboring on construction sites. Their most precious possessions include a study table and a second-hand computer.
It is not a great atmosphere for studying, she admitted. “There are a lot of dreams … All of them cannot be fulfilled.”
But having no television and little else at home has advantages, she said. “There is nothing to do but study.”
Sushma begins her studies next week at Lucknow’s B. R. Ambedkar Central University, though her father is already ferrying her to and from campus each day on his bicycle so she can meet with teachers before classes begin.
Her first choice was to become a doctor, but she cannot take the test to qualify for medical school until she is 18.
“So I opted for the MSc and then I will do a doctorate,” she said.
Sushma — a skinny, poised girl with shoulder-length hair — is not the first high-achiever in her family. Her older brother graduated from high school at 9, and in 2007 became one of India’s youngest computer science graduates at 14.
In another family, Sushma might not have been able to follow him into higher education. Millions of Indian children are still not enrolled in grade school, and many of them are girls whose parents choose to hold them back in favor of advancing their sons. Some from conservative village cultures are expected only to get married, for which their families will go into debt to pay exorbitant dowry payments, even though they are illegal.
For Sushma, her father sold his only pieces of land — 10,000 square feet (930 square meters) in a village in Uttar Pradesh — for the cut-rate price of 25,000 rupees (about $400) to cover some of her school fees.
“There was opposition from my family and friends, but I did not have any option,” said her father, Tej Bahadur Verma.
The rest of Sushma’s school fees will come from a charity that traditionally works in improving rural sewage systems, which gave her a grant of 800,000 rupees (about $12,600).
“The girl is an inspiration for students from elite backgrounds” who are born with everything, said Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak of Sulabh International, who decided to help after seeing a local television program on Sushma. She is also receiving financial aid from well-wishing civilians and other charities.
Referred from : asiancorrespondent
13-yr-old Indian girl begins microbiology master's
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — In a country where many girls are still discouraged from going to school, Sushma Verma is having anything but a typical childhood.
The 13-year-old girl from a poor family in north India has enrolled in a master's degree in microbiology, after her father sold his land to pay for some of his daughter's tuition in the hope of catapulting her into India's growing middle class.
Verma finished high school at 7 and earned an undergraduate degree at age 13 — milestones she said were possible only with the sacrifices and encouragement of her uneducated and impoverished parents.
"They allowed me to do what I wanted to do," Verma said in an interview Sunday, speaking her native language of Hindi. "I hope that other parents don't impose their choices on their children."
Sushma lives a very modest life with her three younger siblings and her parents — eating, sleeping and studying alongside them in a cramped single-room apartment in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.
Their only income is her father's daily wage of up to 200 rupees (less than $3.50) for laboring on construction sites. Their most precious possessions include a study table and a second-hand computer.
It is not a great atmosphere for studying, she admitted. "There are a lot of dreams ... All of them cannot be fulfilled."
But having no television and little else at home has advantages, she said. "There is nothing to do but study."
Sushma begins her studies next week at Lucknow's B. R. Ambedkar Central University, though her father is already ferrying her to and from campus each day on his bicycle so she can meet with teachers before classes begin.
Her first choice was to become a doctor, but she cannot take the test to qualify for medical school until she is 18.
"So I opted for the MSc and then I will do a doctorate," she said.
Sushma — a skinny, poised girl with shoulder-length hair — is not the first high-achiever in her family. Her older brother graduated from high school at 9, and in 2007 became one of India's youngest computer science graduates at 14.
In another family, Sushma might not have been able to follow him into higher education. Millions of Indian children are still not enrolled in grade school, and many of them are girls whose parents choose to hold them back in favor of advancing their sons. Some from conservative village cultures are expected only to get married, for which their families will go into debt to pay exorbitant dowry payments, even though they are illegal.
For Sushma, her father sold his only pieces of land — 10,000 square feet (930 square meters) in a village in Uttar Pradesh — for the cut-rate price of 25,000 rupees (about $400) to cover some of her school fees.
"There was opposition from my family and friends, but I did not have any option," said her father, Tej Bahadur Verma.
The rest of Sushma's school fees will come from a charity that traditionally works in improving rural sewage systems, which gave her a grant of 800,000 rupees (about $12,600).
"The girl is an inspiration for students from elite backgrounds" who are born with everything, said Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak of Sulabh International, who decided to help after seeing a local television program on Sushma. She is also receiving financial aid from well-wishing civilians and other charities.
Referred from: yahoo
13-Year-Old Girl To Pursue Master's In Microbiology
Sushma Verma of Lucknow is only thirteen, but she will be beginning her Master’s education next week.
Living in a one room-apartment with her three siblings and parents, life for Sushma Verma has been anything but a light breeze. Despite the poverty, Sushma is one of those rare kids who demonstrated the capability and brilliance to complete schooling and pursue higher education a little too early than others. Having completed her high school at the age of 7, Sushma graduated from college recently, at barely 13. And now, she will be pursuing her Master’s of Science in Microbiology at the B.R. Ambedkar Central University of Uttar Pradesh.
Interestingly, the ability of finishing education early has been a trend in the family. Sushma’s elder brother completed schooling when he was 9, and became one of India’s youngest computer engineers at the young age of 14.
Sushma’s father is a daily wager earning a meagre 200 rupees a day. Not deterred by the high cost of education, the family had to sell their land in order to pay Sushma’s tuition.
According to the little wonder, she wishes to become a doctor, but because one cannot enroll for a doctorate program until age 18, Sushma opted for a master’s degree.
“They allowed me to do what I wanted to do.”
In our country – where girls lag behind in receiving education, and where, at a number of places, providing girls any form of education is considered unnecessary and inappropriate - the story of Sushma is a shining beacon of hope. The credit must be given to Sushma’s parents for having the moral sensibility to rise from the social stigma, and let their daughter pursue her dreams. “They allowed me to do what I wanted to do,” said Sushma in an interview.
While part of Sushma’s tuition will be covered by the money the family raised by selling off family-owned lands, the remaining will be funded by a charitable organisation.
Referred from: youthconnectmag
City University offers UP prodigy free integrated PG
"You will never find time for anything.You must make it."
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