Street kid, student of 'Signal School', passes Class 10 exam with 60% marks

Thane: A student of a school for street children in Thane city has passed the Maharashtra board's Class 10 examination, proving that resilience and efforts can defeat adversity.

Kiran Kale, who attended the Signal Shala, a school set up for street children under the Teen Haat Naka flyover, secured 60 per cent marks.

Results of the Class 10 examination of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education were declared on Friday.

The `signal' in the school's name signifies the traffic lights.

Kiran lost his father several years ago and his mother, who sells flowers on the street, is the family's chief breadwinner. They live on the footpath.

The Signal Shala is jointly run by the Thane Municipal Corporation and NGO Samarth Bharat Vyaspeeth.

Kiran started attending the school when he was eight years old, said Batu Sawant, a social worker associated with the NGO.

He appeared for the Class 10 examination through the city-based Saraswati Secondary School.

In the last eight years, eight street children who studied at the Signal Shala have cleared the Class 10 exam, Sawant told reporters.