Age is no bar for learning and, in India, lack of an educational qualification is no bar for holding any elected position in the government.
Shiv Singh, the 52-year-old Mayor of Bharatpur, Rajasthan, once again demonstrated the validity of both the truisms when he cleared his Class X Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) exams on Sunday, securing 44.83 percent overall. He secured his highest marks, 53 out of 100, in science.
Singh, who had hired a tutor to help him study said, "Being a mayor, I hardly got time for studies during day hours. I studied for two hours daily at night." He recalled that he had been forced to abandon his studies in 1971 or 72 because of personal compulsions.
"Recently, I got a chance to visit a foreign country but I was unable to speak in English. I felt very bad," he said. That prompted him to start studying again.
"Had I failed, I would have tried again. Now, I will continue to study further," he said.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, to be a driver with the Central government, a candidate needs to know at least one Indian language along with English. However, no educational qualification is required to be a mayor.
However, as per the new norms, a candidate contesting municipal elections must have passed her or his Class X exams. Were Singh to contest the elections again, his new degree will definitely help him.
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