Author:
Publication: HeadlinesIndia.com
Date: August 10, 2007
URL: http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/10August2007_51912.html
A 14-year-old boy who had earlier stunned
the academic world by clearing class XII examinations at the age of 11 has
accomplished yet another feat by becoming a computer graduate at the age of
14. Shailendra received his mark sheet for Bachelor of Computer Application
(BCA) from the Lucknow University Vice Chancellor R P Singh on Thursday. "We
know for sure that he is the first computer science graduate at that age in
the state", said a senior university official, while adding, "we
would not be surprised if he turns out to be the youngest BCA in the world."
He said, "for all you know this kid would get a place in the Guinness
Book of Records."
The prodigy has an equally illustrious younger
sister who set a record by clearing the high school class X examination at
the age of 7. Significantly, the siblings come from a family of a daily wage
labourer, who earns a meagre 70 to 80 rupees a day. "I hardly went to
a primary school in the village but my children are god's gift to me. So I
was always willing to work overtime to ensure that they could get educated,"
his father Tej Bahadur told reporters.
He is grateful to his employers for supporting
him in this mission. "And it is thanks to the media that both my children
received unsolicited financial and moral support from many others including
the university authorities who allowed Shailendra admission despite being
underage. Without ever going to a formal school, Shailendra learnt his lessons
entirely on his own under the guidance of neighbours and teachers of the school
where his father works as a labourer. He had barely turned nine when he sought
admission in the National Open School from where he took the Class X examination
in 2002.
Two years later, he passed class XII from
the same National Open School. Simultaneously, he cleared both Test of English
as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as well as an admission test (SAT) following
which he was offered a seat in a course in Computer Science at the Eastern
New Mexico University, USA. But his poor father was in no position to muster
up the admission fee of $1400. It was then that he sought admission at the
Lucknow University where Shailendra was granted special relaxation of age.
Shailendra, who is seeking admission in the
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to pursue Masters in Computer
Applications aspires to make it to the Indian Institute of Management and
nurtures the dream of launching his own information technology company one
day. "I wish to one day establish a company like Microsoft or Oracle,"
quips the beaming kid. "Once I am in some position, my aim would be to
provide poor children with every opportunity because it is my firm belief
that children from poor families do not need charity but opportunity to prove
that they too have it in them," he adds confidently.
