An 11-year-old orphan Dalit girl from Gumo village here, 7km from district headquarters and 160km from Ranchi, could not hide her tears on Tuesday when her she realised that her dreams of studying would come true.

Koderma DC Ramesh Gholap personally got her admitted to the nearest Kasturba Gandhi Valika Vidyalaya, a residential school for girls, in Class VI.

Sapna Kumari, who lost her parents when she was only one, stays at her uncle’s home. Her uncle, a daily wage earner, could not afford her studies, so she had to drop out of school in Class IV.

A chance meeting with DC Gholap during an event in the village earlier this month changed her life. When the DC asked her, along with other children, about her home and school, she said she was an orphan and a school dropout. “But I want to study,” she had said.

On Tuesday, the DC not only drove her to her new school, he directed the women and child development and social security department officials to ensure Rs 2,000 be given to Sapna every month. He also directed the education department to provide an extra tutor to Sapna.

The DC, who himself hails from a humble background — as a schoolboy he helped his mother sell bangles — urged every official to ensure children don’t drop out of school.

Asked by the media what she’d like to become after her studies, Sapna pointed to the DC. “I want to be like this saheb,” she said.