Setting sight on success, visually challenged Shibli enrols for PhD

First such research scholar in management studies in Kannur University

K. Shibli with his research guide Dr. U. Faisal at the University Central Library at Thavakara.

Twenty-seven-year-old K. Shibli, who is visually impaired since birth, is now an inspiration to several students at Kannur University.

On World Sight Day on Thursday, Shibli, who is the first visually challenged student to enrol as a PhD scholar in business management at the university, stood as a role model for many differently abled.

However, it was never a cakewalk for him. After the University Grants Commission (UGC) limited the number of research students under a guide, no research slot was available in the Management Department at Kannur University.

Though he had qualified under the Junior Research Fellowship at Tamil Nadu Central University and Calicut University, he decided against joining there considering the distance and problems related to stay.

VC approached

He then approached university Vice Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran to consider his case. It was accepted based on an order to enrol the differently abled in research programmes. He enrolled under guide and head of the department U. Faisal of Kannur University, Palayad campus.

The decision to study business management came naturally to him as many of his family members are into business, he says.

A topper

Mr. Shibli did MBA at the Kannur University’s Centre for Management Studies (CMS) on the Mangattuparamba campus and was the university topper in MBA in 2016.

P. Vidhushekhar, Assistant Director, CMS, says that it was with the intervention of the then Education Minister M.A. Baby that he was able to choose commerce in his Plus Two after the Higher Education Department rejected his application citing his inability to appear for practical.

Mr. Shibli says lack of accessibility for research materials is still a cause for concern. If IT-enabled university libraries and Mangattuparamba MBA campus libraries are made accessible to him from his home, his dream of achieving the doctorate degree is not far away, he adds.

Differently abled people face innumerable challenges to pursue a normal life or a career, Mr. Shibli says adding that he wishes to study business possibilities for differently abled people with the help of social media and start-ups in Kerala.

He is of the opinion that education should be made more accessible to the differently abled students.