461 CLASS 12 KIDS WHO MADE IT BIG GET STALIN'S PAT

DESPITE excelling academically, M Kowshika from Tiruvallur had initially planned to drop out after Class 12 due to her family's financial situation.

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She lives with her mother, a single parent and a daily wage tailor. "I achieved the second-highest score in my school in Class 10. However, I thought I should end my studies after class 12 to support my mother," she said. Thanks to the efforts of her model school teachers, Kowshika has completed Class 12 and is now set to pursue an integrated MBA in Data Science and AI at IIT, Mandi.

She was among the 461 students from government schools joining premier higher education institutions, who were felicitated by CM MK Stalin at Anna Centenary Library here on Friday. Among these students, 14 will be joining institutions abroad --10 in Malaysia, three in Taiwan and one in Japan.