First specially abled boy from Kerala to use computer aid in SSLC exams scores A+

A visually impaired student from Malappuram of Kerala has scored full A-plus grades in his Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations. He had taken special permission from the State Education Minister to make use of computer aid to write his exams and became the first student to do so. Meanwhile, he has been flooded with congratulatory wishes since the results of the examination were announced.

Malappuram (Kerala): Haroon Kareem, a visually impaired student from here, struggled to get the approval to use computer aid in Kerala Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations for the first time in the state. This was the first time in Kerala that a student appeared for SSLC examinations using computer aid.

On Tuesday, as the Kerala Education Minister C Ravindranath was announcing the SSLC results, Haroon a student at the Mankada Government High School, remained hopeful. Haroon got A-plus grade in all the subjects. The Education Minister specially congratulated Haroon in the programme where SSLC results were declared.

Haroon had marked the answers in all his subjects using special software to assist the visually impaired. Overcoming his limitations and challenges, he has been studying with the aid of computers right from the school level. He continued the same in his tenth standard also.

However, to appear for the SSLC examination, Haroon needed approval from the State Education Department. For this, Haroon left for Thiruvananthapuram, with his father. After meeting and bringing his case to the minister’s attention, Haroon got the approval.

He used ‘Screen Reader’ to write the answers in all the subjects and another software named Indy, for his Mathematics examination. Till 7th standard, Haroon studied at the Mankada Blind School. He is also good at coding computer software and his ambition is to become a software engineer in the future.

Haroon is the son of Abdul Kareem and Sabeera of Kunnummal House, Olippuzha Todukuzhi in Melattur. Haroon has two sisters named Hanna and Haneena.

Since the time the results were published, Haroon has been flooded with messages and calls congratulating him from many people, besides his teachers, classmates and friends.