Abdul Hamid, a resident of Kukhura village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, has topped the country in Arabic in the 2026 UGC-NET examination, scoring 266 out of 300 marks among 1,649 candidates. The results were declared on August 28.

Hamid worked in agricultural fields with his father and herded cows and goats amid financial hardship. He prepared without any formal coaching at the Siuri centre, using YouTube videos, a few books and his own notes. He also leads prayers at a local mosque, according to Radiance News.

He cleared the Alim examination in 2017 and Fazil in 2019, graduated from Alia University in Kolkata, and completed his post-graduation from Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi with a CGPA of 8.75. He also sharpened his English at the Ramakrishna Mission. His father Abdut Toab taught at a secondary education centre for nearly two decades.

The UGC-NET determines eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship, Assistant Professor roles and PhD admission. The report of his achievement was originally published by Awaz The Voice on September 11, and has since been picked up by other outlets.