‘My son has failed in exams but not in life': parents celebrate son after he scores 32% in Karnataka SSLC papers

Indian Express

05-05-2025

Whenever the results of board examinations are announced, the stories that usually appear are those of students who ace their papers and the mantra behind their success. However, here is a story of parents celebrating their son's failure in the Class 10 or Karnataka Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) exams.
Abhishek Cholachagudda, 17, a student of Basaveshwar English Medium School in Bagalkot, Karnataka, failed all six subjects and scored 200 out of 600 marks in his Class 10 board exams.
While friends mocked him for securing only 32 per cent, Abhishek's father, Yellappa Cholachagudda, decided to cut cakes to celebrate his son's performance.
Speaking to the media, Yellappa said, 'When Abhishek was one year old, he sustained severe burn injuries on his feet. It took him to a shock and he lost his memory. Since then, his memory levels have been very low. It is indeed an achievement that he has studied till Class 10. My son has failed in examinations, but not in life. I am very happy that he has secured 200 marks. I wanted to give him a message that the entire family is with him.'
'I decided to celebrate and bought two cakes which mentioned his score. We are happy. I see a lot of graduates sitting at home without a job or work. But my son is strong and is willing to fight, which means a lot,' said Yellappa, who owns a small business.
Abhishek said he was happy that his family had been 'a strong support'. 'I will appear for examinations again. Even if I fail, I will not stop until I achieve something in my life,' he added.
VIDEO | Karnataka: Parents celebrate their son after he fails in Class 10 exam by cutting a cake to boost his morale in Bagalkote. He got 200 marks out of 600, which is 32 percent, below the passing marks. #Karnataka #Bagalkote pic.twitter.com/YJzSBm3Gvq
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 5, 2025
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) released the results of the SSLC Exam-1 last Friday. This year, 62.34 per cent of students passed their SSLC exam, which is 9 per cent higher than the previous year. As many as 8,96,447 students appeared for the SSLC exams, including 4,61,563 boys and 4,34,884 girls, this academic year.
As many as students scored full marks — out of which two are from Karnataka government schools — and 75 per cent of them secured first class by getting more than 60 per cent marks.