Teachers of 16-year-old Muzzamil who suffers from muscular dystrophy come home to teach him.
Highlights
- Despite physical limitations, 16-year-old Muzammil wants to go to school.
- Two teachers from a government school volunteer to instruct him at home.
- Muzammil's family can't afford help required for him to study in school.
Muhammed Muzammil loves all things digital. The 16-year-old from Kozhikode in Kerala spends his time online watching videos, catching up with friends, and looking up the latest developments in the world of computers.
He does all this on his laptop, using only his toes.
Muzammil suffers from a congenital muscular disorder that has left his bones weak and unable to support his body. He requires assistance to eat or even move around. But his physical limitations haven't dimmed his desire to live a normal life as a school going teenager.
"His bones are weak, and his body has been deformed since an early age. But he has always dreamed of attending school," said his mother Shameera C.
Without the financial resources required to help her son attend regular classes, Shameera was almost ready to give-up on Muzammil's dream.
Help has come in the form of two government school teachers - Surendran A and Mumtaz T - who make it a point to visit Muzammil at his home at least twice a week and help him with schoolwork.
"At school we don't have the resources to help him right now. If we have the money to hire an assistant for him or a car to ferry him to school, it would make a huge difference. It is my dream to see him study in a classroom," said Mumthaz, a special needs instructor at the Vazhakkad government school.
Even the laptop Muzammil loves so much was a gift from his teachers after they saw his avid interest in computers.
"I enjoy studying and I want to learn more about computers," Muzammil said.
The laptop may have been a gift, but Muzammil learned to operate it all by himself. He is mentally very sharp, his teachers say with some pride.
"Once we had organized a quiz at school and he was so disappointed that he couldn't attend it. However, I got together 15 students and held the quiz at his home. It was such a joy to see him participate and win," said Surendran, the headmaster at the government school.
Muzammil is yet to realise his dream of going to school. But thanks to his teachers, he continues to dream.