Although she was jumping for joy and giving herself a pat on the back for a job well done, she knew deep down in her heart that if it hadn’t been for her mother’s sacrifices, she might not have come this far.
She credits her mum, Rajeswary Marimuthu, for single-handedly raising her after her father died three years ago, and doing everything in her power to ensure Prabavathy had the best education possible.
“My mother struggled a lot financially once we lost the head of the family. But she didn’t let that hinder my studies one bit. She would send my sister and me for tuition classes, extracurricular activities, all of which I knew were expensive,” she told FMT Lifestyle.
With tears welling up in her eyes, Prabavathy spoke about coming to terms with her father’s death. “I would say that it was fate that my father passed away so early. At first, it was hard, but eventually, I accepted it.”
Fighting back tears, she continued: “I’m sure that my father would’ve wanted me to study well and to get straight As for SPM, so for the past few years I was single-minded about wanting to make his dreams come true.
“On the day I received my SPM results, my mother just looked at me and said ‘I’m extremely proud of you’. I can’t describe how much that meant,” said Prabavathy as tears streamed down her face.
The 18-year-old from SMK Seri Tanjong in Kuala Selangor not only obtained 11 straight As, she was also the only student from her school to score that many, and among only 2.7% of total SPM 2022 candidates to do so.
Meanwhile, Rajeswary, 51, said she fully appreciated the value of education, particularly for young girls today as she herself missed out on the opportunity to study.
“When my husband passed away, I realised why education is so important. Today, it’s not possible for me to go and find a job to provide for my family without proper educational qualifications,” she explained.
She said all girls should be equipped with the knowledge and skills to stand on their own feet.
“I want my daughter to be self-reliant and not depend on anyone else, whether her husband, parents or siblings.”
She not only nurtured her daughter’s academic abilities, she also provided holistic growth and encouraged her daughter to participate in extracurricular activities such as chess, Bharatanatyam dance and playing Indian classical instruments.
She also impressed on her daughter the importance of preserving their mother tongue, Tamil.
As a result, Prabavathy chose to take the elective subjects Bahasa Tamil and Tamil literature.
“Most science-stream students stay away from elective subjects, because the core subjects are hard enough. I took the subjects Bahasa Tamil and Tamil literature mainly because of my mother,” Prabavathy said.
“She always told me that we should never push aside our mother tongue, or think of it as a burden. Eventually, as I kept studying, I fell in love with the language itself.”
Besides the positive influence of her mother, Prabavathy said her teachers played a vital role in her academic success, extending their guidance beyond the classroom.
“Leading up to the exam, I frequently communicated with my teachers through WhatsApp,” Prabavathy shared. “No matter the time, whether it was 10pm or 11pm, I almost always got a response to my questions.”
With her deep admiration for her teachers, it is no surprise that Prabavathy’s ambition is to become a lecturer someday.
“Out of all the jobs in the world, I love the profession of teaching because they have the ability to shape a whole generation,” she said.
Prabavathy’s story is an inspiration to students across Malaysia, reminding them that no dream is too big, and no obstacle insurmountable.