EARLIER this month, a batch of ten unsighted students entered by the Guyana Society for the Blind to write the Caribbean Secondary Examinations Council examinations at this year’s May/June sittings, wrote the first of five subjects for which they had registered.

Having overcome the initial feelings of nervousness associated with examinations, the students are now in high spirits and are looking forward to completing the exams successfully.

One year ago, the Guyana Society for the Blind (GSB) collaborated with the Ministry of Education and the President’s ‘One Laptop Per Family’ Initiative to launch the training project through which the students – 18 and over — were coached for the examinations. The subjects offered were English Language, Principles of Business, Office Administration, Social Studies and Human and Social Biology.

The first subject written, Human and Social Biology, was conducted at the African Cultural Development Association’s headquarters on Thomas Lands in Georgetown. The other four subjects will be written during next month.

The Guyana Chronicle invited comments from those students on how they feel about being given the opportunity to write the examinations.
Leroy Phillips, 23, of West Ruimveldt, responded, “I feel on top of the world, because it is an opportunity I never expected; and now that it has come, (I) have to grab it with both hands.”
Leroy has been totally unsighted for the last 17 years. At age 6, he fell down a flight of stairs, landed on a bicycle and hit his head. His parents, Sean and Racquel Phillips, took him to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was admitted and spent some time.

Leroy recalls getting ‘red eyes’ and suffering excruciating pain as his sight deteriorated over time. He said that, within one month, he had gone completely blind in both eyes.

On successful completion of his examinations, Leroy hopes to proceed to the University of Guyana to further his academic studies.

Rosemarie Ramit, 18, of Broad Street, Montrose, East Coast Demerara will be writing all five subjects, but says she has a particular liking for science.
Rosemarie asserts,“I am very grateful for this opportunity, and wish to express my gratitude to those who have made it possible for me to write the exams.

“I am confident because I know I have the knowledge, except that I’m a bit nervous.”

She aims to attend the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and read to become an English teacher.

The third of four siblings, Rosmarie is a Christian and attends Plaisance Roman Catholic Church, East Coast Demerara. She is not completely blind, but is visually impaired. At age 13, she developed uveitis, an inflammation of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye between the retina and the sclera (white of the eye). Her disease can lead to total vision loss if not taken in hand quickly.

Uveitis requires urgent referral and thorough examination by an ophthalmologist, and urgent treatment to control the inflammation.

Vishaul Mohabir, 20, of Diamond New Scheme, East Bank Demerara, said, “It has always been my ambition to work in an office. In addition to wanting to make a contribution , I also like the glamour of it. I am working towards passing all five subjects and moving on to furthering my studies,” he said.

Vishaul is the son of Jetendra and Radha Mohabir. He has two brothers and one sister who are all very supportive of him.
Written By Shirley Thomas