“Had I got the opportunity to pursue higher secondary schooling as a day scholar, I would have scored higher,” said a confident S.M. Nithya. The Kancheepuram resident overcame her disability to score 968 marks out of a total of 1200 in the plus-two examination. She appeared as a private candidate since higher secondary schools in the town refused to admit her after class X citing her health condition.
The first child of S. Mannusamy and Prema, Nithya suffers from muscular dystrophy, a rare disease which weakens the muscles. The disease has hampered her physical growth. Undeterred, her parents ensured Nithya was admitted in a regular school right from the beginning, and completed her education up to class X. Her mother would carry her from their house to the school van, while a helper took care of Nithya during school hours.
She said she was extremely disappointed when her application for admission to plus-1 was turned down by schools in the neighbourhood. “After six months, I gained admission at SSV tuition and tutorial centre run by V. Bakiyaraj, who is also physically challenged. I decided to appear for plus-2 examinations in 2012 as a private candidate,” she said.
Her confidence and determination paid off and she managed to score around 80 per cent marks in the four main subjects and around 75 per cent in the two language papers.
Nithya wants to become a chartered accountant. “I will pursue B.Com through correspondence and then prepare for CA,” she said.
Expressing confidence in her, Nithya's mother Prema said she dreamed of a day when her daughter would move around the house without help from anyone. “I will not give up hope. I'm sure Nithya will make her mark in the world,” she said.
