Class 7th student Jeevesh outperforms class 12th students in National Biology Olympiad

12-year-old Jeevesh has become the youngest student to qualify for the second round of the prestigious International Biology Olympiad (IBO), based on the higher secondary syllabus, mostly attempted by students of Class XII. He competed with class 12th students and got selected for the second round and made enthralled everyone.

Vijay Singh, former National Coordinator of the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) and scientist at Ramaswamy Research Fellowship, said, “7 years ago, a Class VIII student had cleared the exam”. He further added, “There were 15,000 students who appeared for the examination conducted by The HBCSE, this year out of which only 3,000 were selected for the second round, Jeevesh being the youngest among them.

In 2015 when Jeevesh was a student of Class 6^th, he cleared the first level of the Junior Science Olympiad, but could not sit for the second level as HBCSE norms do not allow students below Class 9 to sit for the Olympiad.

Pre- Nurture and Career Foundation Head and his mentor at ALLEN Career Institute, Tushar Parekh, said, “Jeevesh says he read his sister’s Class 11th and 12th Biology books to prepare for the Olympiad. He is a gifted child and is always eager for reading books beyond his syllabus. When he couldn’t sit for the second round of the Junior Science Olympiad, he came to me and I advised him to take a crack at the senior Olympiads which have no age restrictions”.

Mr. Parekh further says, “He chose biology. I wasn’t very sure that he would be able to clear it but he’s done it. He had been following the Olympiads for the last 12 years and had never heard about any Class 7 student being able to pass it. I think by the time he’s in Class 10^th, he would have read all the books for the senior secondary and would be asking for more.”

Mr. Brajesh Maheshwari, Director of ALLEN Career Institute added, “Being a student of Class VII, Jeevesh could not opt for Biology as his subject but he succeeded in qualifying for the IBO. Jeevesh has been studying at ALLEN PNCF with his sister Harsha, an All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) aspirant, who is preparing for various competitive exams at ALLEN itself”.

Jeevesh, who belongs to Noona Mazra, a small village in Jhajhar district of Haryana, has attained scores of success previously, including an All India Rank 1 (AIR 1) in National Maths Talent Contest (NMTC), 5th rank in International Maths Olympiad (IMO), 14th Rank in National Science Olympiad (NSO), 25^th Rank in Cyber Olympiad and 50^th Rank in National Level Science Talent Search Examination (NSTSE).

Jeevesh, son of a Delhi policeman said, “I would usually study the Biology books of my elder sister in my leisure time and that helped me clear the National Standard Examination in Biology (NSEB) and qualify for the next round of IBO”.