Kerala Minister allows visually impaired pupil to take board exam on computer

A visually-impaired pupil Haroon Kareen TK is all set to become the first student to take Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SCERT) examination on computers in the Kerala State. 

Haroon Kareen, a tenth-grade student of Mankada Government Higher Secondary School in Malapuram district, had requested the education department to write the exam citing the State Council of Educational Research and Training norms (SCERT). The education department had denied his request. 

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After the State Education Minister C Raveendranath intervened, things swiftly transitioned from the conventional methods of using braille or a scribe. The State Minister took notice of the case when he was reached out on Facebook by the boy. The Minister also met Kareen after the matter was settled.

As per news agency ANI, Haroon said, "I am using computers to do all my class tasks and term and annual examinations since Class 8. For visually impaired there are technologies available for onscreen reading and using various tools like Imfty editor and Dolphin Easy Reader. I am able to make the best use of technology".

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After meeting Minister, Haroon told, "I met Kerala speaker P Sreeramakrishnan and he facilitated a meeting with Education Minister. The Education Minister has assured me that I will be able to appear for the exam using the medium I am comfortable with." 

An NGO, Ram Kamal of Chakshumathi who works with print disable kids in Kerala, was of the view that this decision of education minister will help many other visually impaired students in Kerala. 

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The Minister stated, "The India Government and NCERT are well in sync with the latest assistive technologies for the visually impaired and print disabled. They modified their rules in favour of using computers officially since 2013. Karthik Swayne, the first Indian visually impaired student at Stanford University, US was one of the first beneficiaries of the rule in 2012. But in Kerala, the SCERT examination guidelines are outdated." 

Before the SSLC board theory exams scheduled on March 10, a government order is expected to be out. 

Image Credits: ANI

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