Visual impairment failed to deter the students of the National Institute of Visually Handicapped (NIVH) from excelling in the Class XII examination of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Hemraj, a student of the Model School for the Visually Handicapped here, scored 91.6 percent marks to top the school.
Interestingly, all but one students of the school got more than 70 percent marks. It is pertinent to mention here that the visually impaired has the same question papers in the examinations which the normal students get. The only leniency they can avail of is that they are provided one hour extra and given a scribe to write the examination. The school for the visually impaired had 19 students in Class XII examination this year out of which eight were girls while eleven were boys. The boarding school gives incentives to the students, most of who are from humble families, to excel in studies and other activities.
A beaming Principal of the school, Kamal Veer Singh, told 'The Pioneer' that it is good that despite all odds the students of the school are able to get such good marks. He said the school provides a scholarship of Rs 2,000 per month to all the students who get 70 percent and above and this acts as one of the chief motivating factors for the students. Singh said that the school provides all the study materials in the form of Braille script to the students. The school also provides audio CDs of study materials to them. "To increase the level of competitiveness we have divided the students into four houses which are named after people who achieved greatness in different fields despite their visual impairment, like John Milton, Hellen Keller, louie Braille and Homer," he said.
This correspondent interacted with some of the students over phone as they are in their homes due to summer vacations and was pleasantly surprised that they have set clear goals for themselves. Ram Singh, son of a daily wage earner and resident of Suratgarh town in Rajasthan, said that he wants to be in the civil services. Similarly, Sagar Kumar, son of a marginal farmer in Bokaro in Jharkhand, said that he had cleared the combined law entrance examination recently. "I have noticed that many visually challenged have become advocates but none of them is a judge. I want to clear the examination of higher judicial services to become a judge", a determined Sagar informed.