A wheelchair ride to success for this Kashmiri girl

Tabia Iqbal belongs to Shangus in Nowgam area of Anantnag. She secured 452 out of 500 marks despite struggling with speech and hearing impairments.

Tabia Iqbal has been suffering hearing and speech impairment since birth. (Photo | EPS)

SRINAGAR: A wheelchair-bound hearing and speech impaired girl from Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir made her parents proud by securing 90.4 per cent marks in the Class 10 exam, the results of which were declared on Friday. Tabia Iqbal belongs to Shangus in Nowgam area of Anantnag. She secured 452 out of 500 marks.

Tabia’s father Mohammad Iqbal told this newspaper that his daughter suffered the impairment since birth and due to some orthopedic problem at age 3, she was confined to the wheelchair. He said since Tabia understands only lip movement, she could not get normal schooling.

“We admitted her to a private school and the principal observed her interest in studies. The teachers would visit our home and teach her here,” he said.

“They would repeat the topic many times over so that she memorised them. The teachers have helped her a lot and it is their efforts and Tabia’s hard work that has paid off,” Iqbal said. Elated at his daughter’s spectacular performance, the overjoyed father said, “She has defied all odds through her stunning performance.

Despite being specially-abled, she has made us proud.” Iqbal, who recently retired from government service, said he took Tabia to various hospitals within and outside Kashmir for treatment, but to no avail. A total of 75,312 students, including 38,340 boys and 36,792 girls, appeared in the exams. Of them 75 per cent (56,384) passed with an overall percentage of boys 74.04 per cent and girls 76.09 per cent.

Owing to the lockdown, schools in Kashmir remained closed and students had to access the online classes through the throttled 2G internet. GN Var, president of Private Schools Association of Jammu and Kashmir, said students in the Valley had been hit hard by the situation prevailing for the last so many years, but they never let go of their dream of scoring good mark.

Hardship of lockdown

Owing to the Covid-19 lockdown, schools in Kashmir valley remained closed and students had to access
the online classes through the throttled 2G internet.