Dharamshala: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the much-awaited results for 2019 Class 12 Board Examinations on its official website on Thursday.
This year, two girls Tenzin Gangtso, STS Bylakuppe and Tenzin Longrig, TCV Bylakuppe and a boy, Karma Phuntsok Dawa from TCV Selakui have emerged the toppers of the Class 12 examinations among all 17 Tibetan schools. The three will soon be awarded the Gaden Phodrang Award 2019.
Here is an exclusive interview with the toppers of the three stream. Information Courtesy: Department of Education
Q: How would you define yourself?
Karma Phuntsok: I am bit of reserved person but I do like to mingle with my friends. I am hardworking and friendly person by nature. I believe that we must work regularly on ourselves and must enjoy the knowledge and wisdom acquired from class and other sources. I truly believe in “Sweating now and obtaining the sweet later”.
Q: Brief information about your settlement and school.
Karma Phuntsok: My grandparents are from Chauntra. I grew up in TCV Suja as both my parents are teachers. I studied till class 10 in TCV Suja and I grew up with deep love, care and guidance of my parents and they instilled a strong foundation of understanding of life and people around me. Consistent guidance from teachers and staff of TCV Suja has undoubtedly constructed my head and heart and teachers of my second school, TCV Selakui has provided me with many opportunities for all round growth and development. The self-reliance that TCV Selakui instills in students is very commendable and I am very thankful for that.
Q: Brief information on family background.
Karma Phuntsok: Both my parents are teachers. I have one elder sister who is pursuing Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism. Growing up in a school environment and nurtured by teaching parents made a positive impact in my mindset for sure.
Q: How did you prepare for the final CBSE exam and what is your study practices?
Karma Phuntsok: I am very attentive in class and I don’t believe in continuous study hours. I believe in studying when you feel like it and doing it with all your heart. I usually study for about 5-6 hours per day and I take a quick break now and then to rejuvenate myself.
I love to play football, but for my final exams, I had drastically minimized my time on the field. Also, under the guidance of my seniors, I went through many sample papers and I believe it helped me a lot.
Q: Any advice for future CBSE aspirants and students in general?
Karma Phuntsok: Do not study to get marks only. Study to get knowledge and enjoy the new knowledge that you learn. Securing marks becomes very easy if you enjoy the learning process. Study when you feel like studying and for those who despise studying, begin with easy topics and visit the topics that you have already learned often to make you feel the pleasure of learning and knowing something new.
Q: What do you envision for your life ahead? What are your future goals?
Karma Phuntsok: Under the generous support of the Department of Education CTA, I started preparing for NEET just after finishing the Board Exam. The department enrolled us in Aakash Institute and I already appeared the test on the 5th of May. My first priority is MBBS.
Q: How would you define yourself?
Tenzin Gangtso: I am a positive and happy-go-lucky girl. I believe that one must conduct themselves with kindness and compassion.
Q: Brief information about your settlement and school.
Tenzin Gangtso: I am from TDL settlement Bylakuppe, camp 7. I studied in CST CVP Bylakuppe till class 10. My community has high hopes and expectation from our school. Under the leadership and guidance of our principal and our hardworking teachers, I learned a lot and grew to be a confident person. I later joined STS Bylakuppe and was equally blessed with hardworking and dedicated teachers.
Q: Brief information on family background.
Tenzin Gangtso: I am from a middle class family and am blessed with very hardworking and dedicated parents. Although our family has many children, our parents made sure to bring us up with the best of opportunities and never discouraged us. Their love and struggle encourage me to continue doing my best in any endeavors and to be a responsible and resourceful citizen of our community.
Q: How did you prepare yourself for the Final CBSE exam and what is your study practices?
Tenzin Gangtso: From the beginning of the session I made it clear to myself that I will do my best for the sake of myself and my community at large. I always listened well in class and made sure to study for two to three hours after school to revise and to complete my assignments to keep the spirit of my lovely teachers. I always updated myself by listening to my teachers and by reading books. Today, with the guidance of our principal and teachers I managed to do well and for that, I am very thankful to my second school STS Bylakuppe.
Q: Any advice for future CBSE aspirants and students in general?
Tenzin Gangtso: Yes! I want to convey it to my younger brothers and sisters that the basic aim of education is not to become rich, but to understand how to live and face the life happily and to become good human being. This is what I learned during my days in STS and CVP. I still carry the knowledge and shall try to live up to that in the future too.
Q: What do you envision for your life ahead? What are your future goals?
Tenzin Gangtso: I am planning to pursue Bachelors in economics and later plans to do Masters and if possible Ph.D. too and then to come and serve our community by working in CTA.
Q: How would you define yourself?
Tenzin Longrig: I am Tenzin Longrig and I am 18 years old. I am an extrovert who loves to mingle and befriend everyone. I am a Buddhist and I believe in the power of kindness and compassion. It is said that ‘‘you are the master of your own’’, I truly believe that it is our responsibility to take action and to work towards fulfilling your dreams. I often recall the hopes and aspirations that my parents, teachers, sponsors, and my country at large holds from me and that always keeps me motivated to do my best in education.
Q: Brief information on your settlement and school?
Tenzin Longrig: I hail from a small but warm community called Bhandara Norgyelling Tibetan Settlement which is located at about 4 hours distance from Nagpur-the orange city in Maharashtra. It is a relatively smaller settlement in comparison with other Tibetan settlements.
As for my schooling, I studied till class 5 in STS Gothangaon and had very hardworking, determined, and passionate teachers. I later got enrolled in TCV Suja and studied there till class 10. TCV Suja has many hardworking, caring, and dedicated staff members who worked tirelessly and introduced us to many new exposures, challenges, and helped me to grow as a person. After class 10, I joined TCV-SOS Bylakuppe, commerce stream and was again blessed with very loving and hardworking teachers, under whose guidance I managed to secure 89.6%. With this, I would like to thank His Holiness the Dalai Lama, my parents, and my dearest teachers for all their love and care.
Q: Brief information on family background.
Tenzin Longrig: I belong to a small, humble and simple family. My father, Norbu Sangpo la works in Mentse-khang and is my role model. My mother, Rinzin Choedon la is a house-wife and she dedicated her life in the upbringing of me and my siblings. I have 3 brothers and 1 sister. I am the youngest of them all.
Q: How did you prepare yourself for the final CBSE exam and what is your study practices?
Tenzin Longrig: The actual credit goes to teachers for their tireless work to guarantee the fruitful future of us, students. But, all their efforts are wasted if students didn’t do their part, I, therefore, did my best. I had this driving thought of making my parents, teachers and school proud of me-which kept me motivated. The result that I had got is not a free gift but a reward of my consistent work and dedication.
My usual practices include reading text books, listening carefully in class, regular revision and most of all teaching/discussion with my peers. Also, my conscious decision to stay away from mobile phone was very helpful. I didn’t waste my time on social media and mobile games and was focused on my studies. I believe that students must minimise their use of mobile phones and should spend their time on studies and physical games.
Q: Any advice for future CBSE aspirants and students in general?
Tenzin Longrig: a) Believe in yourself and work hard for the colourful result.b) Always invest your time in studies. c) Be good and do good, until it becomes a habit. d) Always respect your teachers and be a good student and e) Always feel blessed and never give up.
Q: What do you envision for your life ahead? What are your future goals?
Tenzin Longrig: I plan to excel in my further studies and become a woman that Tibet needs. I plan on becoming a Tibetan doctor, so that I can help and bring happiness to the people who are suffering.