KOZHIKODE: Disabilities do not dishearten those who are driven by determination. And there is no better example of this than 12-year-old Muhammed Aasim, a differently-abled boy from Velimanna in Kozhikode, who has been waging a spirited battle for the past several months to get his upper primary school upgraded to a high school for himself and several others from the region.
Though Aasim is worried that he already missed two months of school, he confidently says he will continue the legal battle till justice is done. “I am sure I will get justice. If the school gets upgraded to a high school, it will benefit not only me, but also several students from our region,” he said.
Aasim, who has 90 per cent disability, completed his Class 7 from the Government Upper Primary School, Velimanna. He will have to travel for 5-10 km to reach the nearest high schools in Koodathayi, Venappara and Karuvanpoyil, which would be quite difficult for the family. Aasim needs his parents’ help to commute to the school and meet his basic needs. The boy’s plight hit the headlines when he wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan last November, seeking the upgradation of his school, which is hardly 100 meters away so that he can continue his studies without hurdles. Born without hands, Aasim has trained himself to write with his feet. He has disabilities with his legs too.
After many ups and downs, Aasim’s chances of continuing his schooling brightened after the High Court directed the Education Department on June 11 to ensure facilities for his higher studies within two weeks.
Aasim’s father Muhammed Saeed had filed a petition in the court seeking a direction to the state government to upgrade the upper primary school to a high school and start Class 8 this year itself.
The High Court had dismissed 134 similar petitions for upgradations of schools across the state the same day. But, the government moved the High Court against the order passed by a single-judge bench. In an affidavit, the government said it would arrange a vehicle for Aasim’s commute to and fro the nearest school and it was not practical to upgrade the school.
‘Counter affidavit filed’
School PTA president Anwar Sadath T K said, “A counter affidavit was filed in the court on Tuesday, pleading with the court to vacate the stay order. Aasim needs his parents’ help to meet his basic needs. Aasim is the eldest among the couple’s children and there are four other kids too. It is not practical for the mother to stay back with Aasim during school time. And his father has to be away for work.”
The students who have taken admissions in other schools are all ready to come back. The parents of 31 students had submitted a joint petition in the court on Tuesday seeking the upgradation of the upper primary school,” Sadath said.