When the premises of Devi Mahto Inter College in Bokaro, Jharkhand witnessed the queue earlier this week for filling up the application forms for the new academic year, it was combinedly shocked and surprised to see a man standing in the queue and filling up applications for class 11 admission. His age of studying class 11 was not the one that left everyone to be surprised as to be more important than the age is that man, who is going to be a student soon, is none other than Jharkhand state education minister Jagarnath Mahto. 

As the moment of proving the epigram that there is no age limit for learning, the 53-year-old minister has the hope of continuing his education from where he left. Mahto had dropped out of his studies in 1995 after he passed class 10 exams. He is a native of Alargo village in Bokaro district and he passed class 10 with a second class division. Later he discontinued the studies due to his political and social engagements. 

The Minister says that he joined the protest led by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren against the exploitation of the poor and tribal in the state when the former was in high school. Following that, he discontinued his studies and joined the political movement. He dropped the studies in 1995 and he is now back to school after 25 years for his second innings to play his academic career along with his political career. 

According to the reports, the minister stated that he has decided to continue his studies after what he came through. He says he has been called as an unqualified minister by the critics and derogators since he took charge as the state education minister. Speaking to the media, the minister said that following such demeaning comments, he has promised that he will study further and will also engage in helping others to study. 

After surprising many over enrolling for class 11, the minister asserted that he will be able to balance his studies and his duties and responsibilities as the state minister. He adds that his studies would no way be a barrier for serving the people. He further said that he is happy after many people had found his story inspiring after the news of resuming his studies. Serving as the minister, he says that he doesn't know whether he can be able to secure 75 percent attendance to appear for exams.

He stated that he would approach the court to find more options if he fails to meet the expected percent in attendance. As he resumed his studies, the minister has chosen the Humanities stream based on his interest to study political science. More importantly, he has applied for class 11 in Devi Mahto Inter College, which he set up in 2005 when he was serving as the legislator for the first time. Now, he has applied in the same institution to study further when he became MLA for the fourth time and serving as the Education Minister in Chief Minister Hemant Soren's cabinet. 

Mahto further adds that his goal is to improve and enhance the condition of the government schools in the state as the education minister. He said that the government has framed the plans to install model schools in all 4,416 panchayats and asserted that the government has been working to reduce the dearth of teachers at the government schools.