The boys are ecstatic, the girl is relieved and there couldn't have been a happier ending. In a break from tradition, Col Brown Cambridge School, an all-boys residential school in Dehradun, has admitted an 11-year-old girl whose own school refused to promote her from class 6 to 7 as her participation in a national music reality show -- in which she performed exceptionally well, going right up to the finals -- drastically hit her attendance.
One of the six finalists in a major competition that was recently beamed across India, Shekinah Mukhiya won the hearts of her audience, but her school, St Thomas College, remained unmoved.
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Helpless, Shekinah¡¯s parents approached Col Brown Cambridge School, a prestigious academy established in 1926 which counts former Prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh and actor Raj Kapoor among its alumni. The school authorities in recognition of Shekinah¡¯s talent agreed to make an exception in her case.
Shekinah will now be one of the students in the seventh grade at the institute when the new academic session begins on April 12 -- the only girl in class and school. Talking to TOI on Monday, Shekinah showed none of the nervousness associated with joining a new school. ¡°I am just happy. I want to be a singer and I also want to complete my studies on time,¡± she said.
Helpless, Shekinah¡¯s parents approached Col Brown Cambridge School, a prestigious academy established in 1926 which counts former Prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh and actor Raj Kapoor among its alumni. The school authorities in recognition of Shekinah¡¯s talent agreed to make an exception in her case.
Shekinah will now be one of the students in the seventh grade at the institute when the new academic session begins on April 12 -- the only girl in class and school. Talking to TOI on Monday, Shekinah showed none of the nervousness associated with joining a new school. ¡°I am just happy. I want to be a singer and I also want to complete my studies on time,¡± she said.
The youngster is confident that she would adjust well with her classmates since she has studied in a co-ed previously. But going to an all-boys school means that Shekinah will also have to dress up like one. No more skirts for her.
TOI
¡°I will wear a white shirt with green stripes and dark green pants like the boys at school,¡± she said, quickly adding that it was a small trade-off for being able to study in a good institution.
The school, on its part, is making arrangements to ensure Shekinah is comfortable. She will be given access to the toilet in the staff room as all the other restrooms are for boys only. The girl will be staying with her parents on campus as they are both teachers at the school.
Her father, Vikas Mukhiya, said that it was the Amir Khan-starrer ¡®Dangal¡¯ that gave him courage to seek admission for his daughter in the all-boys school.?
¡°I thought that if a father can take on the world to break the glass ceiling in wrestling as shown in the movie, I could also fight for my daughter. We were lucky that the school accepted her,¡± said Mukhiya.
Indu Bala Singh, proctor, Col Brown Cambridge School, said the girl was given admission to the school as the institute recognizes all types of talent and was not focused only on academics.?
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¡°At our school, a lot of attention is paid to hobbies and interests. It is not only about academics. If children are allowed to follow their passion, they turn out to be better, wholesome individuals,¡± she said.
While Shekinah is the only girl student to have been admitted to the school in the past few decades, three other girl students have also studied there, including Indu Bala Singh and her sister Charu Bala Singh -- both daughters of the owner of the school -- in the 1950s, and the daughter of a staffer in the 1940s.
Reminiscing about her school days, Indu Singh said, ¡°My classmates were very courteous to me. I never felt like I was different from them. I¡¯m sure Shekinah will also have a memorable time here.¡±?