14 years in school; not a days leave!

CHENNAI: Most children stay home from school from time to time citing one reason another. But through 14 years of school life, S Darshana has never looked for an excuse to take leave. A student of CSI Ewart Girls Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Vepery from LKG to standard 12, Darshana made it to school every single day. “I never liked staying at home, and school was a great place to go to, thanks to my friends. I got along well with my teachers too, and all of them were very supportive through the years,” she says.Aksha Jain, a friend and classmate of Darshana’s since UKG, says, “She has never said that she wants to take leave. Knowing that she might feel bored or lonely, especially when we had school on Saturdays, I used to come to give her company.”As leader of the school brass band and participant in many extra and co-curricular activities, Darshana says her time in school was well spent. She is glad that she never fell seriously ill, and since most family functions were organised during the holidays that was never a reason to miss school. “I did miss a couple of weddings, but I felt school was more important,” she says.“It was not a conscious decision. At first it was my mother who forced me to be regular at school. After a few years I thought, now that I have made it through so many years what is the point in breaking the streak,” Darshana says. Darshana’s father, P Shreyans Sethiya, gives credit to his wife for the achievement. Her mother, S Nirmala Sethiya, a home maker, says, “Children find it difficult to cope with lessons if they miss one day of class. What we teach at home is never sufficient.” It is this motivation which she has passed on to both her younger children as well. S Chetna of Class 9 in the same school and S Siddharth of Class 6 in Sankalp have never missed a day of school either.Principal of CSI Ewart Sheila Lawrence says, “We are proud to have such dedicated students and supportive parents in our school. I am especially happy that Darshana has achieved this in our centenary year.”A student of the computer science group, Darshana is awaiting her Class 12 board exam result and hopes to study IT or Visual Communication. “In the meanwhile, I’m going to learn to play the guitar,” she says with a smile.