For 116 yrs, this school in Dadar has been home to the visually impaired

In 1920, the school was given a plot of land by the government so that it could accommodate more students, and that is where the institution is located today. “In the course of time, the trustees have changed frequently. It was given its current name in 1986,” said Ahivale.

Mostly, due to lack of funds, the school has passed through the hands of several trustees, and is currently being looked after by the Maharashtra government which provides a fixed fund for every girl every month, buttressed by donations from private individuals.

Even though most of the girls studying in the school are locals, many from around Maharashtra and also Madhya Pradesh seek admission in the school. “There is no other criteria we follow except that the student should have a blindness level of 60%. Otherwise, there is no discrimination whatsoever,” Ahivale explained.

Currently, the school is considered one of the best academic institutions in the country for the visually impaired. “The syllabus the girls are taught here is exactly according to the syllabus taught in regular schools; just that here it’s in Braille. Our students move on to regular schools for the last three years of SSC, and compete on equal footing with everyone else,” Ahivale said proudly.

The school offers its students training in various skills like music, dance, home science, and boasts of amenities like a language lab, a gymnasium, a hobby centre and a library. “It’s important to have an institution that doesn’t restrict its students based on their limitations. Here, the students are encouraged to learn every possible skill they show an interest in. They aren’t held back because of their disability,” said Ahivale.

Currently, there are at least three teachers who have been students of the institution themselves, and who have taken up jobs as teachers here to give back what they got. Recently, the school was visited by Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar on September 17 on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. “He attended demos of teaching methods and activities that the girls excel in, like malkhamb and writing. He was quite appreciative of the efforts that are girls put into learning,” said the principal.