A Ballari jail inmate serving a life sentence scored 81% in Karnataka’s 2nd PUC exams. His achievement highlights determination, as the state records a high 86% pass rate this year.
Ballari: The Karnataka 2nd PUC results are out, and one story of incredible determination is coming from inside Ballari Central Jail. An inmate, Ashok Kumar, who is serving a life sentence for murder, has scored an impressive 81% and secured a first class.
He has been in jail for the last seven years. Despite his circumstances, Ashok decided to continue his education from behind bars.
Ashok Kumar Appeared from the Arts Stream
Ashok Kumar appeared for the 2nd PUC exams, which are equivalent to Class 12 boards, as a private candidate. He studied for them right from his separate cell in the prison.
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He scored a total of 481 out of 600 marks, which comes to 81%. His subject-wise scores are excellent: Kannada - 82, English - 69, History - 94, Economics - 84, Sociology - 77, and Political Science - 75. His achievement is being widely appreciated.
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Reports say that Ashok Kumar developed a habit of reading while serving his sentence, which ultimately led to this success.
This year, the state saw an overall pass percentage of 86% in the 2nd PUC exams, with 6.1 lakh out of 7,10,363 students passing. This is a record-breaking result. As usual, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts have secured the top two spots, while Raichur and Yadagiri are at the bottom.
One major reason for this jump in the pass percentage is the board's decision to lower the passing marks from 35 to 33 this year.
Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa congratulated the students, saying they "created history." He also had a message for those who couldn't pass. "Don't be disheartened. You have another chance," he said, encouraging them to prepare well and reappear for the exam. He noted that the overall pass percentage has gone up by a significant 13.03% compared to last year.
