With the state board exams nearing, organisations dealing with the blind students are taking extra care to avert last-minute goof-ups at examination centres. With recent incidents faced by blind college students, who are ditched by the writers at the last minute, organisations are ensuring that such incidents do not occur during board exams.
Blind People's Association (BPA), one of the oldest organisations in Gujarat, have nearly 46 students who will take board exams this year. While they do not face issues related to writers, they are keeping various checks and balances in place.
"We get writers from Skum school and Kameshwar school and not only take an undertaking from the school but also parents and the student too. Additionally, we take a bonafide from the students so that they are aware of the responsibility they are going to take", said Manubhai Chaudhary, Principal, Secondary and Higher Secondary at the school at BPA.
For Andh Kanya Prakash Gruh near Helmet circle, they have engaged surplus writers this year. Says Arunaben Patel, Hostel rector, "We have about 24 students for class 10 and 12 who will be appearing for board exams. While we have rarely had instances in past few years where the writer has not turned up at the centre, but that has happened only due to some major emergency at their end. Hence, we always keep 2-3 extra writers, get them approved from the DEO in advance so that our students do not face any difficulty. Those who volunteer do not charge money and the rest are paid Rs 500 for the entire boards."
Interestingly, the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) has announced that the expenses to avail services of writers to appear for board exams will now be borne by them. Until now, the students with disabilities had to pay Rs 100 per subject.
However, just getting the writers is not a challenge for blind students. As Chaudhary adds, "The biggest issue is that like there is a provision for writers in UPSC exams, there is no such provision in Gujarat. Last year we were the centre for UPSC exams and that is when we saw that UPSC not only provides writers but also pays them Rs 1080 for two days. As of now, the blind students bear the expense of a writer. I believe that these are students with special needs and hence schools and the government should be responsible so that they can take the exam smoothly. Recently, a student of GPSC came up to me stating that he is not getting a writer for his exam."
A teacher, working with blind students for the government, said, "The biggest concern is that the state government complicates the process of getting writers. A student who had a writer, approved by the district education officer for board exams, fails in one or two subjects and has to re-appear for boards in October is asked to undergo the entire writer verification process again. If the same writer agrees to appear for re-test, why to complicate the process? Because of this, many students drop-out once they fail in exams."
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Blind students")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}