Grievously injured Idukki student takes SSLC exam in ambulance

Aggie Theresa, daughter of a teacher at the Sacred Heart School, writing down the answers dictated by Ann Mary while she lay on a stretcher. Photo: Manorama

Nedumkandam: A Class 10 student who received serious injuries to her vertebral column last Friday following a fall is attempting her Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination which began on Wednesday from an ambulance.

This facility was arranged for Ann Mary by the authorities of Sacred Heart School at Ramakkalmedu, near the inter-state border, in Idukki district of Kerala.

After she was injured, Ann Mary was rushed to a hospital near her house. However, as the injuries were grave, she was shifted to a private hospital at Theni in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.

As the SSLC exams were to start on Wednesday, Deepa, a teacher at the Sacred Heart School reached the hospital at Theni along with her husband Shaji Scariah and explained the situation to the doctors there. Subsequently, Ann Mary was brought to Deepa’s house by 3 am on Wednesday in an ambulance from Theni.

Later, Ann Mary was taken to the school for the exam in another ambulance provided by the school authorities. As Ann Mary has a learning disability, a scribe — Deepa’s daughter Aggie Theresa — was already arranged for her.

Inside the ambulance parked on the school premises, Aggie Teresa wrote down the answers happily dictated by Ann Mary while she lay on a stretcher.

Ann Mary’s parents are daily wagers and live at Balan Pillai City in Idukki. As the road to their house is a rough track which is difficult for vehicles to negotiate, Ann Mary would be staying in Deepa’s house till the exams are over.

Meanwhile, the Sacred Heart School authorities announced that they would make all arrangements to enable Ann Mary to write the remaining papers and facilitate her further treatment at Nedumkandam Taluk Hospital in Idukki district itself.

Seven tribal students miss exam

Seven belonging to Scheduled Tribe communities who needed special attention could not take the SSLC exams at Government High School at Adimali in Idukki on Wednesday after the school failed to receive the approved list of such students from the Education Department.

Six of these students are inmates of the tribal hostels at Mannankala and Irumbupalam, while one student resides at Chinnappara Adivasi Colony.

Students having at least 40-percent learning disability are provided a scribe to write the exam for them. The Principal of the Adimali school said that even though officials at the Educational Sub-District Office were contacted, their response was that the list of students who could be provided a scribe and other facilities would be available online. However, the list was not received on Wednesday, the Principal said, leading to the seven students missing the first exam of the SSLC.

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