Educating the physically challenged

We commend The Manab Kalyan Trust of Pabna for assisting higher education of 135 physically challenged students, many of them visually impaired. Starting with six extremely poor students, in 1994, the trust, founded by a college professor, now imparts specialised education through Braille and recorded lectures to blind students, some of whom aspire to become civil servants and academics upon completion of their postgraduate studies. 

In a country where several barriers preclude persons with different abilities from leading a normal social and economic life and accessing essential services like education and health, this extraordinary organisation sets a shining example of how a helping hand can make a difference in the lives of those who are often bypassed by ambitious development programmes and projects. 

What's remarkable about the Manab Kalyan Trust is the fact that it instills in students the courage and determination to overcome their limitations, often an important factor behind success and failure in life, not only for them but all of us. 

The measure of a society is how it treats its people including those physically challenged. Currently dependent on donations, the institution needs government support to extend its mission to help the most vulnerable members of the community. And at the macro level, allocation of funds has to be increased to meet their special needs for education, health and integration into the society and the economy, enabling them to live a meaningful life as citizens.