Snehal Kachare, a student of Pune’s St. Mira’s College, topped her college this year by scoring 77.87% in the HSC board exams. Commuting daily by public transport, Snehal kept her preparation simple. “I never really had fixed strategies,” she told The Free Press Journal (FPJ). “I’d just come home and revise everything taught in class. I mostly studied through online classes.”
Looking ahead, Snehal plans to prepare for the MPSC public service exam and dreams of becoming a psychologist. She credits the Skill Development Centre (SDC) for adding value to her journey. “I learnt conversational English, computer courses, and even started German classes, though I had to pause during exams. I’m planning to resume now,” she shared.
Swati Ingole scored an impressive 69%. “I’d heard people say board exams are very tough, but I managed well by revising a lot,” said Swati, who faced challenges especially with diagrams in economics and numericals in math due to her visual impairment. Swati, too, picked up German at the centre and plans to continue learning. It can provide opportunities, such as employment as an interpreter for Pune-based firms,” she said.
Another achiever, Laxmi Gite, who scored 64.17%, kept a disciplined routine. “I’d wake up early, solve board questions from 6 to 8 am, and revise in the evenings until 11 pm,” she said. Laxmi hopes to complete her graduation in sociology and pursue a master’s in social work (MSW).
This year, 12 students from the National Federation of the Blind Maharashtra (NFBM) Skill Development Centre, Alandi Devachi, appeared for the Maharashtra HSC Board Exams held in March 2025, marking the centre’s fourth batch and continuing its streak of 100% results.
The Skill Development Centre was set up in April 2020, which trains visually challenged girls in courses such as German, spoken English, and computers, in addition to academic guidance. Within three years, the centre has employed 18 girls in different professions, filling them with confidence and independence.
