Arsalan Showkat, a 16-year-old visually-impaired from Barbarshah Srinagar has qualified his class 10th exam securing 461 marks out of 500.
Arsalan, according to her mother Ruhi Showkat, was born a normal child, but three months after his birth he lost his eyesight.
Arsalan was studying in Solia Sublime High School, Rajbagh and appeared in the class 10th examination in November last year.
Arsalan qualified the exam with the help of a female writer (helper) provided by the JK Board of School Education (BOSE). “His helper was one class junior to him. He narrated to her the answers and the girl wrote it on the answer script,” said Ruhi Showkat.
“I don’t want to highlight my son’s achievement to get any aid from government, but I want to showcase his achievement. Specially-abled students particularly those who are visually impaired are considered as a liability but I want to tell people that if anyone sets his target, disability can’t be a hurdle in achieving his or her goal in life,” she said.
The parents of Arsalan have visited all the eye specialists in Kashmir as well outside J&K for treatment of their son so that he may get back his eyesight. “From Kashmir to Amritsar to Delhi and to Indore we met every doctor but couldn’t retrieve Arsalan’s vision,” she said.
However, his parents never let his blindness come in the way of his education. They started his formal education in Rajbagh high School and Arsalan continued his studies like other children.
“I was a working lady. I didn’t continue my job after marriage. And after 2004, I gave my all attention to Arsalan as I didn’t want his education to suffer. I want his future to be bright like other students and his disability should not be a hurdle in his life,” she said.
Till class 9th, the school authorities used to conduct oral exam of Arsalan and would assess him on the basis of his performance in the class.
“But in class 10th he had to appear in Board exam and he was provided a helper. For practical classes, the teachers conducted his viva to award him marks and instead of mathematics subject he was given a choice to chose music as one subject as it was theoretical,” she said.
She said the government should give some attention to these students and provide better platforms of higher education. “I am not asking for any donation or aid but government should not make these (specially-abled) students a liability,” she said.