Against odds, Srikakulam teenager scores 598/600 in SSC, makes parents proud

In a small village in Srikakulam district, celebrations broke out as 16-year-old Dunga Tejeswara Rao, a student of Narayana Educational Institutions, scored 598 out of 600 in the SSC examination, emerging as one of the state toppers. The son of a tailor, Tejeswara Rao comes from a low-income family. Yet, he says his parents ensured their struggles never affected his studies. "There were problems, but my parents never let them reach me. They made sure I could focus only on my studies," he said. He studied for nearly 12 hours a day. "I didn't expect 598 marks. I just studied with the aim of making my parents proud. People in my village celebrated my result," he added. He now plans to take MPC in intermediate and aims to become a software engineer. He credited his teachers, Rama Rao and Gowri Prasad, for guiding him during his preparation. His father, Paparao, the sole breadwinner of the family, said he is determined to educate both his children despite financial difficulties. "My income is not steady. I earn around ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 a month, and sometimes it is hard to provide everything, but I want my children to study as much as they can," he said, adding that he has faced several hardships and received support from friends. He pointed out that funding higher education remains a concern, especially after spending significantly on his elder son, Chanakya, who qualified in JEE Main with 96 percentile. He added that govt support would help them continue their younger son's education. With strong academic performance but limited financial means, the family now hopes to find a way to support his intermediate education.