Ankita Basappa Konnur, a student of Morarji Desai Residential School at Melligeri in Bagalkot district, topped the class 10 board examinations in Karnataka, scoring 625 out of 625 marks after the results were announced on Thursday.
Sharing the secret of her success, Ankita has advised students not to get addicted to social media platforms and to spend less time on them as they can prove to be a distraction from their studies.
Ankita expressed her desire to continue her studies in the Science stream and pursue a career as an IAS officer.
"The use of phones is not allowed in the hostel. I only watched YouTube for subject-related information. Consistency in studying, hard work, understanding concepts, smart work, and presenting answers in the examination effectively yielded these results," Ankita said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed his heartfelt congratulations to Ankita for securing the first rank in the state.
"She is the only student to score 625 out of 625 marks. This achievement by a student of Morarji Desai Residential School will serve as an inspiration for children in the state. I hope she will become an asset to our land," Siddaramaiah said.
State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra conveyed his best wishes to Ankita for her remarkable achievement.
As a Kannada medium student, her feat of scoring 625 out of 625 marks is sure to inspire future generations, he said.
Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President, D.K. Shivakumar, congratulated Ankita and her teachers, highlighting that she has proven that government school students are not inferior to anyone.
"Karnataka is proud of you and your school. I will meet you soon," he said.
Vinayak Mantur, Ankita's English teacher, said that Ankita began her preparation for Class 10 at the start of the academic year.
Even when she faced health problems, she came to school promptly and focused seriously on her studies.
"Ankita wasn't the type to study all day and night. She studied until 10.30 p.m. and woke up at 5:30 a.m. to resume her studies. She didn't engage in unnecessary chatting and utilised her free time to study Swami Vivekananda and works by science authors," Mantur said.
(With inputs from IANS)
