Blind students beat the odds to score high

Elated news: Nurul Syahida reading their results to Tan at Putrjaya.

STPM Results stories by STEPHANIE LEE , SANDHYA MENON, LO TERN CHERN, REBECCA RAJAENDRAM and LEE CHONGHUI

PUTRAJAYA: A key factor that contributed to Nurul Syahida Zainun Abidin’s excellent achieve­ment in the Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) 2017 examinations was the dedication shown by her teachers.

The St. John’s Institution, Kuala Lumpur student was named best student in the blind category, with a CGPA of 3.92.

“The curriculum is integrated; students with special needs like me had teachers specially assigned to assist us in our needs.

“The teachers would convert regular reading materials we receive during our lessons into Braille for the visually impaired using devices available in separate classrooms,” said Nurul Syahida, 21, after the announcement of the results at Putrajaya Marriott Hotel.

The sixth of seven siblings, who wished to pursue education in Universiti Malaya, said using her own notes after lessons helped her understand her subjects better.

Born to a carpenter and a housewife, Tan Chin Ning, 21, emerged as the best student in the low vision category. Tan, who is also from St. John’s Institution, scored a perfect CGPA of 4.0.

She said it was important to be disciplined while studying.

“My school provided magnifying glasses to students with low vision. It was accessible to all of us, so I had to learn how to divide my time according to when the device was free to be used,” said the youngest of three who wants to study economics in Universiti Malaya.