The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : `Special' teacher works wonders

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 06, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

`Special' teacher works wonders

Staff Reporter

Converts Urdu, civics into Braille script

CLASS APART: Mohd. Mahboob.

Hyderabad: The Government turning a Nelson's eye is nothing new. But surprisingly, it is being blind to the needs of a visually-challenged teacher. Mohd. Mahboob, a Secondary Grade teacher of Government Primary School, B.K. Guda, has been representing the authorities for providing the lessons to him in the Braille script. But his pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

However, the undeterred 41-year old teacher, who is blind by birth, has prepared the lessons in Braille script himself. Of course, at great pain and cost.

Mr. Mahboob who teaches classes IV and V has converted Urdu, civics and social studies texts in the Braille script. "I am trying to write the other subjects too in this language," he says, showing the Urdu text.

Scores of teachers

He was among the scores of teachers who were presented awards by the Hyderabad Collector R.V. Chandravadan on Tuesday on the occasion of Teachers Day.

Rasheed Ahmed, headmaster of the B.K. Guda school, guided him to the dais. "He has been a great source of encouragement to me. But for him, I wouldn't have been in the position I am today," remarked an emotional Mahboob.

After completing his matriculation from the Government High School for Blind, Dar-us-Shifa, Mr. Mahboob graduated from the Anwarul Uloom College and did teachers training. During this period he lost his parents and faced financial straits.

But he remained positive in his outlook and got a teacher's job in 1997. "Lack of vision has never been a handicap. And I don't have any inferiority complex either," he says.

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