Waste Pickers' Kids Score 80% Pass Rate on Class 12 Exams

Mangal Govind Sakat spent 20 years watching her dream of finishing high school slip further away. This year, the waste picker and domestic worker from Pune, India finally walked into an exam room and scored 69% on her Class 12 finals.

Sakat's mornings began collecting waste, her afternoons cleaning homes, and her evenings bent over textbooks. "Fear is always there when you start something new, especially after such a long gap," she said. Her daughter studied beside her every night, refusing to let her give up.

She wasn't alone. This year, 113 students from waste picker families in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad sat for Class 12 exams, balancing doorstep trash collection with homework. Eighty percent passed.

Sandhya Sankar Kamble woke at 4:00 AM daily to study before starting her waste collection rounds with her parents. The discipline paid off with an 82% score, and now she's training to join the police force.

Dipali Vijay Mane became the first person in her family to complete high school, scoring 85.67% in Commerce. Her father works as a ghantagadi waste cart pusher and has been organizing with the local waste pickers' union for years.

Why This Inspires

Krishna Sanjay Landge's father carried him on his back to the exam center. Krishna, who has a disability, scored 55% despite the physical challenges of simply getting to school. "My body does not define my existence," he said. "I will prove through my knowledge what I am capable of."

Shruti Vinod Londhe studied alone at home after her father died, relying on her older sister for support while earning 75%. Pooja Mohan Ravat pulled 72.83% and also plans to become a police officer.

These students accessed scholarships and coaching support through Kagad, Kach, Patra Kashtakari Panchayat, a waste pickers' union that's been fighting for education access. The organization helped students navigate financial barriers while working full schedules.

The results mark a quiet revolution in communities where education was once nearly impossible to access. More students are completing higher secondary school even while supporting their families through waste collection work.

Sakat thinks about the 20 years she waited and the nights she studied between chores. "We've struggled a lot to reach here," she said. "Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes." Now she's thinking about what comes next, textbooks still open on her kitchen table.