Blind pupil sits Gr 10 exams

 BLIND student Emmanuel Simon of the Mt Hagen Park Secondary, in Western Highlands, was among the 47,000 Grade 10 students who sat for the national examination last week.

Simon, from Chimbu, had been assisted by teacher Rodney Rut since he was in Grade 3 at Hagen Tee Primary School.

Rut was tasked to look after him by Callan Services, a non-government organisation based in Mt Hagen.

Rut said Simon did well while with Callan Services and passed the Grade 8 examination in 2011. He continued to Mt Hagen Park Secondary for Grades 9 and 10. 

Rut said they helped him compete with other students.

“Teachers are very close to him to ensure he got quality education. We often spent our leisure time with him asking him questions in some areas which he was not sure of,’’ he said. 

Rut said they taught him by reading from textbooks and he put all the information into a Braille machine.

“This is something difficult and interesting,” he said.

Rut urged the Government to focus on the education of disabled people by providing facilities they needed to acquire quality education.

Mt Hagen Park Secondary School deputy principal Justin Kingal urged institutions to accept people like Simon for further education.

“Disabled students must be given priority when committees for secondary schools do their selection for next year,’’ he said.