Education, Careers & Professional News
India’s Youngest Maths Post-Graduate
She was barely nine when she cleared the Class 10 exams. And now Rajasthan girl Aarti Jajoo is on her way to the record books as the youngest post-graduate in India at the age of 16!
The celebrations have continued since July 1 when she received a confirmation letter from the Limca Book of Records (India`s equivalent of the Guinness Records).
Aarti Jajoo of Jaipur will be featured in the 2006 Limca Book of Records` communication and education chapter as the youngest post-graduate, that is the first girl in the country to achieve such a feat, the letter said.
Aarti cleared her post-graduation in mathematics at the age of 16, securing 77.59 percent marks in her examination.
I used to put in 10 hours of studies daily. During the time of exams, the study hours would increase to 13-15 hours, including the time I would spend in my regular classes, Aarti told about the secret of her success.
She was put under a rigorous training schedule by her jeweller-turned-exporter father K.D. Jajoo, who himself is an M.Sc in Mathematics.
She appeared for the Class 10 exam in 1998 when she was nine. She was only 11 when she passed Class 12. But her feats didn`t end there. She made it to the Limca Book as the youngest graduate in the country when she completed her BA (Hons) in economics at the age of 14 in 2003.
In her super-fast pursuit of education, has Aarti ever missed the fun and frolic of school?
You cannot have all good things at one time. Every achievement comes with a price tag, Aarti says.
When she was asked what inspired her to achieve this feat, Aarti said that it`s her brother, Govind Jajoo. My brother`s achievement proved to be the turning point in my educational journey, she added.
For K.D. Jajoo, Aarti was not the first in the family to make him proud. Govind too had apparently completed his MS in computer science from New York when he was just 20.
I thought, when my son can pass Class 10 at the age of 11, why can`t my daughter script the same story? K.D. Jajoo said.
Today education focuses more on rote learning. Methods of teaching too have not been upgraded in tune with the changing times. So it`s no use wasting 10 years at school.
Crediting him for her success, Aarti said: I feel lucky to have him as my father. He has not left even a single stone unturned to guide me in my studies. He would rather first learn the lessons himself and then teach me.
Excellence in academics has not stopped her from participating in debates and other co-curricular activities in college.
I have never been a bookworm. Be it studies or other activities I love to enjoy every moment of life, quips Aarti.
What about her future plans? Though I aspire to become an administrative officer, before that I intend to pursue my doctorate in mathematics from New York where my brother is currently serving.