Chennai, May 8 : In an inspiring story from Coimbatore, 70-year-old Raani has successfully cleared the Tamil Nadu Class 12 board examinations, proving that age is no barrier to learning or achieving.

Raani, who lives alone following the death of her husband, had always nurtured a desire to study further despite challenges thrown up by life.

This determination culminated on Thursday when she passed the Higher Secondary Examination (HSE) with a total score of 346 out of 600 marks.

Breaking down her marks, Raani scored 89 in Tamil, 52 in History, and 50 in English -- an achievement that has drawn admiration from the community and beyond.

Her accomplishment at the age of 70 grabbed spotlight after the announcement of the results of the Class 12 board exams on Thursday.

Raani's achievement stands as a testament to perseverance, inspiring many to pursue education at any age.

The state recorded an impressive overall pass percentage of 95.03 per cent, up 0.47 per cent from last year. Announcing the results, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said that out of the 7,92,494 students who appeared for the exams, 7,53,142 passed.

Ariyalur district topped the state with a pass percentage of 98.82 per cent, followed closely by Erode at 97.98 per cent.

In government and government-aided schools, Ariyalur maintained its top position.

Subject-wise, Science stream students achieved a pass percentage of 96.90, while Commerce students recorded 92.68 per cent.

Notably, 9,536 students scored full marks in Computer Science.

Chemistry had 3,181 centum scorers, and Mathematics had 3,022. Students can access their results online at results.digilocker.gov.in and tnresults.nic.in, with results also being sent via SMS to registered mobile numbers.

Originally scheduled for May 9, the results were released a day early to ensure timely access.

This year's Class 12 examinations were held from March 3 to March 25 across 3,316 centers.

Class 11 exams took place from March 5 to March 27, and Class 10 exams were conducted from March 28 to April 15 across 4,113 centers.

Over 45,000 teachers were deployed for examination duties, while 4,800 flying squads monitored centers to curb malpractice. A dedicated control room at the Directorate of Government Examinations (DGE) operated from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on exam days to handle public and student queries.

Strict regulations banned mobile phones inside exam halls for both students and staff.

Last year, 7.72 lakh students took the Class 12 exams, with 3.93 lakh girls, 3.25 lakh boys, and one transgender student passing.

The School Education Department reiterated its commitment to conducting transparent, fair, and smooth examinations.

/IANS