New Mother Writes Class 12 Exam With 10-Day-Old Baby In Maharashtra's Nanded; Centre Sets Up Special Facility

Nanded: In an inspiring display of determination toward education, a woman appeared for her Class 12 board examination carrying her 10-day-old baby, prompting authorities at People's College, Nanded, to establish a special mother-friendly facility at the exam centre.

The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations began on Tuesday (Feb 10) and are being conducted smoothly at the centre, where a total of 861 candidates are appearing.

The administration has deployed flying squads and monitoring teams, while the entire examination process is being supervised through Zoom webcasts and CCTV surveillance to prevent malpractice.

On Wednesday, Shital Chandrakant Chitte (21) arrived at the centre with her newborn to appear for the Political Science paper. She had first visited the centre just two days after delivery to write an English paper, accompanied by her sister.

Moved by her commitment to education, the People's College Nanded, run by the Nanded Education Society, authorities created a dedicated Matrusneh Kaksha (mother-friendly room) and arranged a facility for the baby. The child now rests in the cradle while she writes her exam.

Married two years ago, Shital (21), a resident of Nanded and a student of Shri Basweshwar College, Nanded, said she had no one at home to look after the baby, as her husband leaves for work during the day. With the Class 12 examination being crucial for her future, she chose not to miss it. Her family has supported her decision to continue her education.

The initiative has drawn widespread appreciation from officials and visitors. Education Officer Madhav Salgar, DIET Principal Dr Amol Nilekar and Block Education Officer Sudhir Gutte visited the centre and praised the disciplined conduct of the examination under digital surveillance.

Exam Centre Superintendent Vijay Kadam, Co-CS GD Tadod, Dr Vinod Chavan and Principal Dr Shivshankar Bhanegaonkar credited the smooth conduct of the exams to coordinated planning and staff cooperation.