It is never too late to complete your education,says Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Dal Bahadur Kori. And the 53-year-old former state minister is leading by example. Kori is among those taking the ongoing High School examinations as a private candidate. On Tuesday,he reached the examination centre in his Bolero to appear for the fifth of the 11 papers. On the first day,as I took my seat in Baijnath Inter College,the exam centre,all the students stared at me. But I did not hesitate or feel shy, says Kori,who was twice elected MLA from Salon in Rae Bareli on a BJP ticket before joining the Congress last year. He was also minister for Social Welfare between 1997 and 2002. He says now the students talk to him and even discuss the question paper after the exam. To prepare for the Class X exam,Kori takes private tuitions at home and also studies in a group with other candidates from his village. In my younger days,when I was a contractor and used to visit different cities,I realised the importance of education. Since my financial condition was not good and I had the responsibility of providing for the family I left studies and started earning, says Kori. In 1998,when I returned to my village and started a new business I made it a point to give the best education to our children. My wife Raj Kumari has studied till Class VIII. Before deciding to revive my studies,I took the opinion of my family members and they were supportive, he says. Kori has four sons and two daughters. The eldest son Kailash Kumar,posted in the state Secretariat,has completed post graduation,so has his second son Ashok Kumar,who is a security officer with Air-India. Eldest daughter Savita,a graduate,is a primary school teacher while the other siblings are in school. When my father first mentioned that he wanted to study we were surprised. But since we know how much our father values education,we appreciated his decision, says Ashok Kumar. UPPCC spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh says,Our party stands for awareness and education and it is a good thing that a member who had not completed his education has decided to appear for the High School exam even at this age. Kori will sit for the next paper on Friday.
