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Wednesday 12 June 2013

Maharashtra extends concession to SCD students : Nagpur

Children suffering from sickle cell disease (SCD), an incurable genetic disorder that affects the shape and functionality of red blood cells, had a reason to cheer while appearing for board examinations in Maharashtra this year. These children were given an extra 20 minutes for every hour to complete their papers like many other children with disabilities get.

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education extends this concession to students who are blind, deaf, dumb and those with bone deformities or multiple disabilities. As the fight for the inclusion of SCD-affected people in the list of disabled people gained ground this year, the board also decided to extend the time relaxation to children suffering from the disease. This was also among the suggestions made by sickle cell activists of the region to the state government to improve the living conditions of people with SCD.

"We were told how children suffering from the disease cannot write very fast due to their muscles being affected. Also, they are now included in the list of disabilities of the central government. Therefore, we decided to include them among the students who get the concession," said secretary Krishnakumar Patil.

Students who wish to avail the service need to show a certificate from the office of the district civil surgeon declaring that they have SS pattern of the disease. The board has also informed all the schools and junior colleges under it about this decision. In fact, many of the children appearing for their board examinations in April and May this year were also given this extra time.

Only a month before the examinations, officials from the NGO Sickle Cell Society of India had written to the state's school education minister Rajendra Darda about the problems that children with this incurable disease have. The request was moved fast through the various departments of the ministry and was applicable from the last academic session itself, making Maharashtra the first state in the country to extend this concession to SCD-affected students.

President of the NGO Sampat Ramteke is all praise about the prompt action taken by the minister and the board. "People suffering from SCD have a haemoglobin level that is almost half of a normal person. This makes it difficult for them to perform tasks that put a stress on any of their body parts," he said.


Source : TOI , 12th June 2013

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