The journey has not been easy for Sumiya Kazi Nipa.

The student of business studies of Motijheel Ideal School and College had to face many hurdles to pursue her education.

There were times she even feared that she might not be able to continue her study due to a financial crisis.

But all her struggles, hard work and determination paid off after she received her HSC result yesterday. Nipa obtained GPA-5 in this year's examination.

“I had to travel on buses every day to attend school from Jatrabari. I spent a lot of times on the road due to traffic jams, and I used to get late in classes and exams. That's why, I gave an extra effort for achieving such result in the exams,” she said smilingly.

Her proud mother, standing beside her, was all smiles. “My daughter worked really hard to do well in the exam. No matter how much we struggled, she never lost sight of her goal,” said Rumi Kazi, her mother.

“Her father is a small businessman. It used to get hard for him to bear Nipa's educational expenses,” she said. “Even I had to start tutoring to pay for her college fees.”

Jubilant students of Barisal Government Women's College. Photos: Star

Meanwhile, an elated Nipa said, “I feel like I'm one step closer to fulfilling my dream.”

When asked, she said she wanted to become a government officer. “My family kept on supporting me to pursue my goal.

Although Nipa was happy with her result, she was also saddened that some of her friends did not get A+ [GPA-5].

This year, a total of 37,969 students got GPA-5 which is 20,307 less than those of the previous year.

Meanwhile in Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, students along with their guardians started gathering on the campus from 12:45pm amid drizzle. As soon as the results were displayed on the boards, they thronged the campus field.

There were screams of joy, hugs and cheers all around. The drizzle and dark clouds had no chance at all.

Still, there were some who did not get the expected results. Most of the students blamed the new system of checking the exam papers under the direction of the education ministry.

A group of elated students of Chittagong College. Photos: Star

Tasnima Nasrin Nisaht, a student of science group, said, “I obtained Golden GPA-5 in SSC, but in HSC I got 4.92, which is unexpected. I will apply for a review of my exam papers.”

Same scenarios were seen in Holy Cross College.

Sadia Ibnat, who secured A+ from commerce group, said, “I was scared as the number of GPA-5 went down this year. But after seeing my result, I feel very happy.”

Expressing satisfaction over the result, Sister Shikha Gomez, principal of the college, said, “We are trying to provide quality education. What the students are learning is more important than their results.”

Meanwhile, it was jubilation mixed with a touch of sadness in Notre Dame College.

Jakaria Hasan, a student of science group who obtained GPA-5, said he could secure the result due to hard work and support of his teachers.

Some of the students of the college, who did not get the desired results, were also planning to apply for reviewing their exam papers.