Bihar Board 10th female topper aims to become a doctor and serve her village

'Girls have the additional responsibility of cooking and helping in domestic chores, that is why they often fail to do their best in academics, but my parents motivated me to study,' said the rank-holder.

Juli Kumari – the third rank holder in the Bihar Board matric exam and female topper with 478 marks out of 500, wishes to study medicine. In a telephonic interview with indianexpress.com, she said, “We have a shortage of doctors in Arwal. If someone suffers a serious medical emergency, then we have to take them to Aurangabad. I want to study medicine, become a doctor, and serve my village.”

The youngest among four sisters, she has a younger brother too. On being the only girl in the top 5 list, she commented, “Girls have the additional responsibility of cooking and helping in domestic chores, which is why they often fail to do their best in academics, but my parents motivate me to study and keep it as my primary goal. My two sisters are enrolled in master’s level education, while the third is pursuing her bachelor’s. Unlike many families in my village, my parents have focused on their girls’ education as well.”

While her father, a teacher, helped her with studies, her mother, who is a homemaker, made sure she didn’t have to step into the kitchen, Juli informs. “Since the result was announced, I have received many calls from coaching institutes for NEET (medical entrance exam) preparation and I have decided to enroll after the lockdown is over.”

For her board exam preparation, she went beyond the state board books. “I used to study NCERT books as well as question banks. I devoted 10 hours daily. I stayed away from social media and referred to online platforms only in case of doubts,” she said.

While writing the exam, she said, “I used two pens – black and blue. My answer booklets were clean and I highlighted the points I thought were most important. Both knowledge and presentation are important in the exam.” Advising other students, she remarked, “The most difficult part of preparation is to stay focused throughout the long course. One should avoid the use of mobile phones and follow parents’ advice.” Of all the subjects, Juli likes mathematics and loves to sketch in her free time.

Meanwhile, Himanshu Raj, son of a farmer from Rohtas district topped the Bihar Board matric result. He obtained three marks more than Juli at 481 out of 500. The second rank is secured by Durgesh Kumar with 480 marks. At rank three with Juli are Shubha, Kumar and Rajveer with 478 marks.