Friday 19 / April / 2024
Muscat: Forty-five minutes of study at a time is all it took Karishma Kalesh to become Oman’s class XII CBSE Board Exam topper.
Karishma, a humanities student at Indian School Muscat, scored an amazing 99.2 per cent in her CBSE exams, the results of which were announced on Monday (13 July). She also bagged a perfect hundred in three subjects – sociology, marketing and psychology, and was also the overall topper in entrepreneurship, with a 99 per cent score.
“At one go, I cannot study for more than 45 minutes to one hour, at best,” she admitted to Times of Oman. “I need to take a break for at least 10 to 15 minutes after that and listen to some music before I continue. Before the exams, I would study for about four to five hours a day, but on normal school days, I don’t study for more than two to two-and-a-half hours.”
Another secret to her academic success has been her dedication to all-round development, an aspect of growth which has been fully supported by her family. Karishma regularly practices meditation, and her love for football has seen her also draw inspiration from Argentina and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.
“This success is not just mine, but it belongs to all those who helped me get here,” she admitted. “I would not have been able to do this on my own, and everyone who’s supported me has had some part to play in this, so I want to thank all of them. I think it is very important for people who want to be successful to stay grounded and humble, because things can change at any time."
“It is very important to pursue all-round development, and not just pursue academics,” added Karishma, who wants to go to Delhi University to study clinical psychology. “Colleges and universities will not just look at your academic grades, and how well you study, but all aspects of your life, because they are all important for you to succeed.”
Indian schools in Oman offer three streams of study to students – science, commerce and humanities – and a total number of 1,561 students appeared for the class XII CBSE examinations held this year.
Dr Baby Sam Saamuel, Chairman – Board of Directors congratulated the students who have made their alma mater and parents proud with outstanding results. He lauded the unflinching support of schools that have conducted remedial classes for the academically weak students and made all efforts to set a higher benchmark of success in the board exams.
“Amidst the gloom and doom brought on by the pandemic, the results of our students are indeed welcome news,” he said. “Like in past years, the Grade XII results have been excellent, bringing much joy and relief to our students and parents.
“I congratulate all the students for having put in their full and best efforts for a successful culmination of their schooling years,” added Saamuel. “As these senior students now move on to higher education, we hope their schooling and learning experiences will guide them while identifying their passions and forging ahead in higher education streams.
“Special acknowledgement also goes out to all teachers who have supported our children in this journey going beyond the classroom through remedial classes, Gurukul system, tele tutoring and ISO VLE,” he said.
While Karishma Kalesh was the Oman topper in the humanities stream, Sana from Indian School Seeb topped the commerce stream, with 97.2 per cent, while Sneha Ann Reji of Indian School Darsait achieved 98.6 per cent to top the science stream.
