HIV girl secures four letter marks in HSE
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 23 2013 : It is a big morale booster and a source of inspiration to all children living with HIV that a girl living with HIV and undergoing ART secured letter marks in four subjects in the Higher Secondary Examination 2013 conducted by the Council of Higher Secondary Education Manipur.

The girl who has lost both parents to AIDS secured letter marks in Manipur (89), Biology (87), Physics (81) and Mathematics (87) .

She secured 415 marks in aggregate out of 500.According to the Continuance and Comprehensive Evaluation system which the COHSEM has adopted from this year, the girl got A2 grade in all subjects except English which gave her B1 grade.

According to the new system, A1 grade is given to students who secure 91 to 100 marks out of 100.A2 given to those who secure 81 to 90 marks.

71 to 80 marks is B1 and 61 to 70 marks B2 .

Notably, HIV first spread among IDUs in the 1990's in Manipur.

In the second phase, the deadly virus was communicated to children from their own parents.

Many children born with HIV are now 22/23 years of age while many others have succumbed to the disease.

Majority of the children living with HIV belong to BPL category.

Many of them have lost both their parents or either of them.

Leave apart nutritious food, these children do not have adequate food to fill their stomach fully.

Even if they wish to study, they cannot afford formal education.

The drop-out rate among them is very high either because of ill health or poverty or both.

Given such situation, the girl securing letter marks in four subjects is a stellar achievement.

The girl is being looked after by her aunt (father's elder sister) .

Lauding the girl's performance MNP+ president L Dipak urged the Government authorities to take up a special policy for such talented children.

According to the children, she went for private tuition for Chemistry and Physics for a few months.

As for other subjects, she had to study by herself for she could not afford private tuition.

The aunt who is looking after the girl asked, "Who can be more unfortunate that these children living with HIV?" .

"Like other children, they have their own dreams and aspirations" .

From the days, the girl studied in Nursery till the days she gave her class XII exam, she fell ill intermittently, conveyed the aunt.

At one instance, the girl was infected by TB and she fell critically ill.

Moreover, the girl suffered a number of side effects on account of taking ART drugs.

Even today, she is very thin.

Nevertheless, the girl was dedicated to her studies in spite of ill-health and she studied with a conviction.

That was why, she was able secure letter marks in four subjects.

Even then the girl has still a long way to go, the aunt said.

"Some people look upon us with disdain, other with pity and some others as helpless creatures destined to die young", the girl said about herself and other children living with HIV.

Confiding that she would like become a doctor so that she could serve the poor and the sick, she called upon fellow children living with HIV to work hard and overcome all obstacles and challenges in spite of wants and limitations.

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