Twenty-six-year-old Shibli K. from Taliparamba is waiting for another academic milestone to cross, though he has already achieved what many would have thought insurmountable for a person who is visually impaired since birth.
Shibli has taken his MBA from Kannur University’s Centre for Management Studies (CMS) on the Mangattuparamba campus and passed UGC’s NET/JRF examination in July against all odds. He is now in a dilemma: whether he should join for MPhil in Business Management at Kerala University, as he is ranked first among the four candidates selected for the course, or wait till he could enrol as a PhD scholar at Kannur University, where he feels he is more comfortable
“MBA was my dream and when I got admission at the CMS in 2014 it was a turning point in my life,” said Shibli, who was university topper in MBA in 2016. Though he always needs support, he feels at home at the CMS as both his teachers and classmates showed the spirit of inclusive education. “My next dream is to do PhD in Management in Kannur University, but shortage of research guides is an obstacle,” he said.
Shibli is one of the two children of Ummerkutty K., who works in the Gulf in an optics company, and Fathimathu Suhara. His sister, Fathimathu Nisma, also visually impaired since birth, is pursuing her postgraduation in English Literature under the distance education programme of the English and Foreign Language University, Hyderabad.
“After completing MBA, Shibli was troubled by the thought of leaving the campus where he felt comfortable,” said P. Vidhushekhar, Assistant Director of the CMS. He suggested that both he and Shibli join for M Com (International Business Operations) under Indira Gandhi National Open University’s distance programme, he said. “Both of us have completed that course,” said Mr. Vidhushekar, who has a great bond with his student.
When Shibli had chosen Commerce for his Plus Two, Higher Secondary Education authorities rejected his application citing his inability to appear for practicals. He had gone all the way to Thiruvananthapuram to take up the matter with the Higher Education authorities, including the then Education Minister, M.A. Baby. Finally, he was exempted from appearing for practical papers (Computer Accounting and Computer Applications). He said he had also missed the first attempt to clear NET exam because the scribe arranged by the examination centre was a Plus Two student who failed to properly understand his answers in the question paper.
