The 17-year-old daughter of a roadside shoe-seller from Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur braved all odds to secure the third position in the science stream merit list of the state board exams.

Madhu Arya secured 485 out of 500 marks in Science (Biology group), and secured third place in the stream’s merit list in the Higher Secondary School Certificate Exam conducted by Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE).

The girl who lives with her parents and five siblings aspires to be a doctor. Madhu said that she was worried about her future due to the poverty in her family which has forced eight of them to live in a two-room house.

Madhya Pradesh: Madhu Arya, daughter of a roadside shoe-seller in Sheopur, has secured 97% & 3rd place in the stream’s merit list in Higher Secondary School Certificate Exam. Her mother says, ‘We provided her education with great difficulty but she worked hard. We’re very happy.’ pic.twitter.com/6Djfb4AMk4

— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2020

Kanhaiyalal, her father who sells shoes on a footpath near the local bus stand, said his daughter’s future education would depend on government assistance as he is the sole breadwinner of the family.

‘I want to help my daughter achieve her dreams but I am afraid my poverty may become an obstacle,’ said the father.

‘I’ve worked hard. I used to wake up at 4 am and studied for 8-10 hours every day. I want to be a doctor. I am preparing for NEET. My parents & the entire family is very happy. I appeal to the govt to support me in my higher education because my father can’t afford it,’ Madhu told ANI.

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