Balasore: Age is just a number. A thirty five-year-old mother in this district has become a proud matriculate along with her son after she cleared the recently declared Board of Secondary (BSE) matric examination.
Earlier, reports had come that father-son duo of the district have also passed matriculation this year securing the same mark.
Tapoi Khatua, a resident of Shabaraghata panchayat under Bhogarai block, appeared for the examination from the Odisha State Open School, which helps school dropouts to appear for the Matric examination without attending school. Her son Bikash appeared for the same as a regular student. The two apparently helped each other in the studies.
Tapoi was not fortunate enough to pass the matriculation in her first attempt in 1999. In her belated second attempt, she got through it with flying colours. Immediately after her first attempt, she wanted to re appear for the examination but there were the financial constraints. Also, she was married off hastily.
Seeing her son study for the matriculation examination, the wish to be a matriculate again arose in her and she decided she would reappear for the examination. “There was always a wish to be a matriculate. I took inspiration from my son to pass the examination. My family members were also very supportive,” she said.
While the mother attributed her success partly to her son, the son stressed his success had to do with his mother’s help and joint study. “I feel proud of my mother. This is a rare achievement. I give full credit to my mother for what I have achieved today. We sat together and studied while at home,” he noted.
