At 13, she is preparing for MSc Microbiology HAMZA KHAN: Lucknow, Wed Jul 10 2013 Lucknow :At an age when most children are trying to find their feet, 13-year-old Sushma Verma ispreparing for MSc in Microbiology from Lucknow University (LU). There is no entrance test for this course at LU but she wants to be on top of things when the classes begin. Sushma’s capabilities have prompted LU Vice-Chancellor Dr S B Nimse to recommend her name to the admission coordinator. “Her age should not be a hurdle to all that she wants to achieve and we will help her as much as we can,” he said, adding that the proper procedure would be followed for her application. Sushma is confident of making it to the merit list. And not without reason. The prodigy completed her entire schooling in just six years. At less than three years of age, she could read Ramayana on stage and was studying her elder brother’s school books. When she was five, she enrolled into St Meera’s Inter College in Lucknow, and in June 2007, Limca Book of Records recognised her as the country’s youngest student — aged 7 years, 3 months and 28 days — to pass Class X. Her fame took her to Japan, where she stood first in an IQ test“comprising people up to 35 years of age”, said her father Tej Bahadur, a daily wage earner, who owns a piece of land in his native village, and has a one-roomhouse on the periphery of Lucknow. In 2010, Sushma, wanting to be a doctor, sat for the Combined Pre-Medical Test (CPMT). However, her dream run was dealt a rude blow when her result was allegedly withheld by the Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj (CSJM) University, Kanpur. Officials refused to give any reason and Bahadur says they did not reply tohis RTI queries either. “Some people said the minimum age for enrolling in MBBS is 17, which is why the university may have withheld the results,” Bahadur said. In the absence of other avenues and lack of a support system, Sushma, then 10, enrolled into BScat Lucknow University after finishing her Class XII. After scoring 66 per cent in the three-year course, she has now applied for MSc Microbiology at LU. “I want to be a doctor but I cannot apply for MBBS unless I am17. Until then, I an just taking things as they come,” she said. The percentage may just secure her an admission at LU, as the data of previous years show that the lower limit in the first cut-off list (for those who apply under the OBC category, through which Sushma has also applied) was 66 per cent. To pay for Sushma’s education, Bahadur is in the process of selling a part of his land and has obtained an advance. On July 3, they met Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav during Janata Darshan. “He gave us an assurance, we are hopeful that the state will fund Sushma’s education,” Bahadur said.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 05:35:56 +0000
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