Night schoolers do a great job, despite long work hours

Nilesh Shinde moved to Mumbai from his village in Daund last year to earn money, and to fulfil his dream of becoming an engineer.

On Friday, Shinde came a step closer to his dream when he scored 82.8 % in the SSC exams.

A student of the KMS Night School and Jr. College, Parel, Shinde had to juggle household chores, work and academics. “After working from 9 am to 5.30 pm at a construction company, I attended school from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm. I did my homework till 1 am,” the 18-year-old said. “It’s my determination to improve my family’s economic condition that has got me this far.”

Shinde is one of the many night school students who overcame obstacles to pursue studies. Sunil Shinde, 20, a student of Milind Night School in Parel, scored 55%. He contracted chicken pox during his board exams. “Despite working 10 hours throughout the week, I used to manage to study and expected to score 80%. Unfortunately, I fell ill during the exams,” said Sunil.

Neelam Sawant, 24, another student of Milind Night School, got married four months before her boards. She scored 45% and believes her marriage has brought her luck. “In the midst of work and wedding preparations, studies had taken a backseat. But with my in-laws’ support, I have managed to clear the exams,” she said.

Many night schools across the city managed to get excellent results, with Utkarsh Night School and KMS Night School notching a pass percentage of 100% and 92 % respectively.