Ranchi: Education minister of Jharkhand, Jagarnath Mahto enrolled himself in Class XI on Monday after 25 years of passing matriculation exams. Mahto registered himself at the government-affiliated Devi Mahto Memorial Inter College in Nawadih under his Assembly constituency of Dumri.
The 54-year-old JMM MLA said that he has done it to silence his critics who pointed at his education and used to mock him. Mahto opted for arts stream. He had passed class 10 in 1995.
“When I was being sworn in as education minister, some people asked what a 10th pass minister would do. This is my reply to those people,” Mahto said when queried about why he wanted to pursue further education at this age.
During his admission, Mahto said that 4,416 schools are going to open soon in Jharkhand, as reported by news agency ANI.
On how he would manage alongside his political commitments, Mahto vowed to work hard. “I will work overtime to fulfil my responsibilities as a minister and a student,” Mahto was quoted as saying by The Times of India.