Like most other students, Shrikant Mali (15) is apprehensive about leaving his school and starting junior college.
Mali is only partially sighted, a drawback that didn’t stop him from scoring 91 per cent in the SSC results on Thursday.
“I have never ever felt that I was blind,”
he said. “Nor did I feel any particular difficulty in preparing for the exams. My teachers have been wonderful.”
Learning through a combination of reading large text himself, being read to and using texts in Braille, Mali is one of eight students of Happy Home and School for the Blind in Worli that posted a 100 per cent pass record.
“It’s a record that we have maintained every year, and this year is even better because all our students got distinctions,” said a pleased Meher Banaji, the school’s director. “Our students are highly motivated and it’s a team effort.”
Many are planning to apply to St Xavier’s College.
The Bombay Institute for Deaf Mutes, Mazagaon, had its own success story. All 25 of its students who took the SSC exam cleared it and 74 per cent being the highest score.
“We’re all very excited,” said Jennifer Alexander, coordinator at the school. “This year we had even more students appearing and they’ve all done well. The biggest challenge is getting the cooperation of the parents in ensuring that they send them to school.”