HSC results: Twenty visually impaired Pune students have a vision

Twenty visually challenged students from the Niwant Andh Mukta Vikasalaya passed their HSC examinations, with 10 students scoring a first class.

Niwant is a Tingrenagar-based non-governmental organisation which has been working for the betterment of visually challenged students for the last 15 years. Meera Badwe, founder and director of the NGO, told DNA on Friday that the aim of the centre was to make the students independent.

The mood at Niwant was upbeat. The visually impaired students were seen dancing and gorging on sweets that were prepared by their own colleagues.

One student, Mangesh Raktate, who scored 51% in his HSC exams said, “I am very happy with my result. I never thought that I would be able to even complete my HSC, but I did.”

Badwe said, “It is very difficult to teach so many of them, but their dedication to educate themselves acts as an inspiration to us everyday.”

At Niwant, the visually challenged students have formed a software writing firm called Techvision and have completed a paid project by BoardWalk, a US-based company. The students at Niwant study various subjects in varied fields of science, commerce, computer, arts, law, and library science and also learn foreign languages like German, Spanish, and Japanese — all in Braille.