3 min readLucknowApr 24, 2026 03:14 AM IST
Pointing to the toppers of the Uttar Pradesh school board exams, the results of which were declared on Thursday, state Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi said that, unlike in the past governments, when students of “desired” castes used to get good scores, hardworking students now get good marks.
Claiming that exams are now conducted in a fair manner and equal opportunity is given to students in the present dispensation led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the minister said, “Vigat sarkaron mein jo parikshayen hoti thi… Wo pehle se hi suchi chali aati thi. Is prakar ki parishayen hoti thi jo mehanti vidyarthi they wo pass nahi ho pate they, ya achhe number nahi la pate they.. aur jinki ishta jati thi, wo ache prakar se pass hote they (In the previous governments, the way the examinations were held, the merit list was decided beforehand. The way the exams were conducted, students who used to work hard failed, or didn’t score good marks. However, those with desired castes used to pass with flying colours).”
“Is varsh bhi balikaon ne apni yogyata ka, ek utkrasta gyan ka parichay diya hai. Humari do bachiyan, High School mein Kashish Verma aur Anshika Verma….toppers hain, wahin Intermediate mein Shikha Verma ne.. gaurvanvit kiya hai (This year again, our girl students have proved their mettle. Our two girls – Kashish Verma and Anshika Verma in High School (Class X) and Shikha Verma in Intermediate (Class XII) have made us proud,” Gulab Devi told mediapersons in Lucknow after the results were declared.
“Since our government has come to power, the examinations are being conducted fairly under the leadership of Yogi ji. Everyone has given paper nicely. There was no cheating, and such good results have come,” she added.
It may be mentioned that three toppers – two of High School and one of Intermediate belong to the OBC Kurmi community.
Gulab Devi, 70, a five-term MLA from Chandausi in Sambhal district, is the seniormost woman minister in the Uttar Pradesh government. A former political science lecturer, she belongs to the Scheduled Caste community. She has served as a minister in the Kalyan Singh and Rajnath Singh governments as well as in both terms of Yogi Adityanath. In Adityanath’s first term as CM, Gulab Devi was Minister of State for Social Welfare.
