Andhra Girl Who Escaped Becoming A Child Bride Tops SSC Exam, Aspires To Be An IPS Officer
In a commendable achievement, a teenage girl from Andhra Pradesh who refused to be a child bride to pursue her dreams of higher education has topped the first-year intermediate board examinations in the state.
The girl, identified as S Nirmala, a native of Pedda Harivanam in Kurnool district, scored 421 marks out of 440 in the exam.
Parents unable to afford her education?
This would have been an impossible feat if she had not stood up for herself and even fought with her parents who were eager to get her married off.
According to The Times of India, though Nirmala, had scored 89.5% marks in her Class 10 exams last year, for her family, higher studies was not an option.
The impoverished family that had already married off their three daughters at a young age was planning the same for Nirmala also.
They told Nirmala that the family was not in a position to fund her education anymore and also pointed out that there was no junior college nearby for her to study.
How she prevented child marriage
An undeterred Nirmala then approached Adoni MLA Y Saiprasad Reddy, who informed District Collector G Srujana about her.
The district administration managed to rescue Nirmala and got her admitted to Kasturba Gandhi Balikala Vidyalaya at Aspari, where she continued to excel in her studies.
Nirmala said she hopes to become an IPS officer and work towards the abolition of child marriages.
Child marriage in Andhra Pradesh?
Despite it being illegal for nearly a century now, the evil of child marriages continues in many parts of the country.
A 2022 study had said that the prevalence of child marriages in the State is as high as 29.3 percent.
According to data by the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) around 1,130 child marriages were prevented in Andhra Pradesh during 2022-23.
Earlier this year, the Andhra State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) had proposed to intensify an awareness programme to reduce child marriages.
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