Five private Class X students and three freshers, who are disabled endosulfan victims, are writing the SSLC examination in the Ramakunjeshwara group of institutions in Ramakunja of Kadaba taluk of Dakshina Kannada.
The five private students are writing the exam in the special centre in Ramakunjeshwara Degree college. Eight disabled freshers, including three endosulfan victims, are writing the exam at the Ramakunjeshwara Kannada Medium school.
All the 13 students are being provided with a scribe each and extra time. These 13 students wrote their first paper on Monday.
The five private students are Suresha, Mohan, Vijesh, Padmashekar, and Ramshid, who are all students of Seva Bharathi’s Vidya Chethana school in Ramakunja. Class IX students Dhikshitha, Deepa, Manisha, Kavyashree, and Anvita are acting as their scribes.
The three endosulfan-affected regular students of Ramakunjeshwara High School are Isanullah Ahmed, Sukhesh, and Chaitanya. These three students and five other disabled students are writing the exam in the seperate hall in the Kannada Medium School.
Initially the five private students were asked to write in the centre in Mangaluru meant for private students. Headmistress of Vidya Chetana School Sashikala said she approached Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra to express difficulty in undertaking more than an hour long journey for her severely disabled five students.
Following his intervention, the SSLC board issued hall ticket and the five students were asked to write the examination at Vivekananda English Medium School in Thenkila in Puttur taluk, which is about 30 km away from Ramakunja.
Dr. Rajendra once again intervened. Deputy Director of Public Instruction K. Sudhakara and other officials then set up a special centre for the five private students at Ramakunjeshwara Degreee College, Ms Shashikala said.
