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29 March 2024

Dubai boy tops CBSE with 100 in 3 subjects

Published
By Sneha May Francis

Gone are the days when you need to be a geeky bookworm to be a school topper. Today you just need to strike a fine balance between books, sports and extra-curricular activities to inch towards the top.

And that’s exactly why Hanumanth Kumar triumphed over his contemporaries at the Class 12 Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board exams.

He not only topped the CBSE boards Science stream in the Gulf, but also won the third rank at the all India level.


His secret lies in balancing out his daily schedule without breaking into a sweat, giving his schoolbooks and his passion for sports, equal importance.

“I am a huge Manchester United fan and even managed to watch a match during the board exams,” he jubilantly announces.

Hanumanth was also part of the school cricket team, and was a regular on the quizzing circuit.

“I don’t believe in spending all my time with books. If you can concentrate well, then even two hours (a day) is enough,” he explains.



The distractions are crucial in giving enough relaxation during exams, believes Hanumanth.

His achievements are extremely laudable. He scored 100 in three subjects – Chemistry, Maths and Computer Science – totalling his aggregate to 98.6%.

Although Hanumath got 94% in the prelims, which is an indicator of how one fares in the final exams, he didn’t expect to be the topper.

It was his friend Ahmed Yusuf, who had been topping in most exams, who was touted to be the one.

“He was always first, and I was second. So, I am bit disappointed that he missed it by just 3 marks.”

The triple 100 was also unpredicted. “I have not scored 100 on 100 in the last three years, so this was unexpected.”

Hanumath claims it is his family’s support, his hard work, his teachers’ guidance and God’s blessings that won him the accolades.

“My sister (Manasi) has been a great support.” His sister is a final year student at BITS Dubai, and herself scored 92% for her Class12 boards.

The day the results were announced, he was the first to scan the numbers at his home computer before sharing the news with his family.

“I wasn’t expecting to be the topper. So, yes everyone was very happy,” he recalls.

His sudden slot in the spotlight has been fun, and his parents have advised him to “stay grounded”.

It’s his grandparents back home in Chennai who are enjoying all the attention. “My granddad especially is so happy and proud. I have been sending him paperclips of all my interviews.”

Hanumanth is now planning to head to Singapore or Canada to pursue a course in software engineering.

Interestingly, he hadn’t enrolled for any private tuition. “That would be dishonouring my school teachers, and I didn’t want to do that.”

Around 3,848 students took the CBSE exams in the UAE.

Another Indian High School student Odelyn Barreto scored 97% to top the commerce stream.

Our Own English High School (Dubai) student Revathi Sukumaran topped the arts stream with 95.8%.