Vision impaired Nagpur teen gets 94% in Class 12 board exam

When a computer-generated voice read out the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) results to Rahul Bajaj, 17, from the board website on Friday, the significance of securing 94.83% didn't sink in immediately.

When a computer-generated voice read out the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) results to Rahul Bajaj, 17, from the board website on Friday, the significance of securing 94.83% didn't sink in immediately.

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Bajaj, who suffers from 90% visual impairment, not only topped the commerce stream at the Dr Ambedkar College, Nagpur, but also scored possibly the highest marks obtained by a visually impaired student in HSC.

"We have not come across a vision-impaired student who has scored such high marks," said CR Borkar, chairman, Nagpur divisional board.

"The feeling that I have topped hasn't sunk in yet. I am very thrilled and my parents and college have supported me throughout," said Rahul, who suffers from Leber's congenital amaurosis, a rare disorder that affects the retina. "Rahul worked hard and has proven his calibre," said his father, Dr Sunil Bajaj.

Rahul, who wants to be a lawyer, scanned his textbooks into a laptop, which read out the notes to him. He got extra time and was allowed a writer for the exam. He even took mock tests to build a rapport with the writer. "Rahul is a determined, sincere student," said Malati Reddy, principal, Dr Ambedkar College.