Girl attends HSC exams with newborn on lap

Mother of a newborn baby is appearing at the ongoing Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations under Rajshahi Education Board at Syed Ahmed Degree College centre in Gabtoli upazila under the district.

A blind newspaper hawker, continuing his study defying the double challenge of visual impairment and poverty, is also attending the examinations at the same centre.

Visiting the centre on Saturday, Ankhi Begum, 18, an HSC examinee from Gabtoli Government College from humanities group, was seen writing her answer scripts with the baby on her lap on Saturday.

“Ankhi was married with my brother Shihab Mondal of Sheikhpara in Bogra Sadar on April 22 last year. She gave birth to a female child at a private clinic in Bogra town on Friday,” Akhi's sister-in-law Shaira Banu said.

She was taken to the examination centre from the clinic in an ambulance for appearing in the English second paper examination Saturday morning, Shaira said.           

Shihab now works in Malaysia.

“Ankhi has eagerness for learning and we feel proud that she is attending the examination with her newborn,” said her college friend Shonali Bala Roy.

Separate sitting arrangement has been made so that the mother of the newborn can attend the examinations smoothly, said college teacher Monjur-e-Alam, also a member of the examination committee.

Meanwhile, blind newspaper hawker Mofidul Islam, 19, the youngest of three sons and a daughter of late Kolim Uddin of Telihata Pacanipara under Bogra's Gabtoli upazila is appearing at the HSC examinations at the same centre as a humanities student of Sonaroy Taslim Uddin Tarafdar College in the upazila.

On Saturday, Mofidul was seen writing the answer scripts of English second paper examination with the help of a dictation writer.

“I sell newspapers in the trains of Bogra-Lalmonirhat route for managing his education costs and helping the family,” said Mofidul , who passed the SSC examinations in 2015 with GPA-3.72.

Md Saiduzzaman, principal of Syed Ahmed Degree College, also secretary of the examination centre, said different sitting arrangement for disabled examinees was arranged there and a Class X student was selected as dictation writer for Mofidul.