Rokeya Begum illuminating lives in a world of darkness

Rokeya Begum, 26, had lost her eyesight in childhood. But her loss of vision could not darken her world as she continued her education, using the Braille system. Her hard work and determination to carry on in the path of life is a testament to her indomitable spirit.

As the fruit of her keen pursuit of knowledge, the young woman has been teaching at Tamblekhana Government Primary School in Faridpur Sadar upazila for the last five years. Rokeya received a laptop from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a function on March 6 at the ICT training programme held in 2016. And not only that, her contributions to the field of education earned her the District Victory Honour on December 9 last year.

Sheuli Das, a colleague of Rokeya, said: “We were initially apprehensive about Rokeya and whether the locals would accept her. After a few days, however, we found her to be a super-efficient teacher.”

A family source said, "Rokeya was born at Tamblekhana in Faridpur Sadar upazila on September 5, 1992. She lost parents at a very early age. Rokeya is the fourth among her five siblings. After the death of their parents, Shahanaz Begum, eldest sister of Rokeya, took over the responsibility of the family."

"Of the siblings, Rokeya, Shikha and Asiya are visually impaired. It is a hereditary disease. But all of them pursued their studies through the Braille system." When asked, an eye specialist said: “This disease is not curable as their nearest relatives also suffer from blindness.”

Prof. MA Samad, general secretary of the Faridpur Muslim Mission Orphanage, has helped the three visually impaired siblings to get admitted to Baptist Integrated School at Mirpur in Dhaka.  Rokeya cleared the SSC exam from Mirpur Ideal School and College and the HSC exam from Badrunnesa College. She was appointed as an assistant teacher in 2013, after passing the Primary Teachers’ Recruitment exams. At that time, she was a degree student at Eden College.

Kakoli Saha, head teacher of the school, said: “Separate books should be arranged for blind teachers during the primary teachers’ training programme.”

District primary education officer Shibpado Dey said: “Rokeya’s performance is good. We'll try to provide her Braille books.”

 

Rokeya Begum illuminating lives in a world of darkness

Rokeya Begum, 26, had lost her eyesight in childhood. But her loss of vision could not darken her world as she continued her education, using the Braille system. Her hard work and determination to carry on in the path of life is a testament to her indomitable spirit. As the fruit of her keen pursuit of knowledge, the young woman has been teaching at Tamblekhana Government Primary School in Faridpur Sadar upazila for the last five years. Rokeya received a laptop from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a function on March 6 at the ICT training programme held in 2016. And not only that, her contributions to the field of education earned her the District Victory Honour on December 9 last year. Sheuli Das, a colleague of Rokeya, said: We were initially apprehensive about Rokeya and whether the locals would accept her. After a few days, however, we found her to be a super-efficient teacher. A family source said, Rokeya was born at Tamblekhana in Faridpur Sadar upazila on September 5, 1992. She lost parents at a very early age. Rokeya is the fourth among her five siblings. After the death of their parents, Shahanaz Begum, eldest sister of Rokeya, took over the responsibility of the family. Of the siblings, Rokeya, Shikha and Asiya are visually impaired. It is a hereditary disease. But all of them pursued their studies through the Braille system. When asked, an eye specialist said: This disease is not curable as their nearest relatives also suffer from blindness. Prof. MA Samad, general secretary of the Faridpur Muslim Mission Orphanage, has helped the three visually impaired siblings to get admitted to Baptist Integrated School at Mirpur in Dhaka. Rokeya cleared the SSC exam from Mirpur Ideal School and College and the HSC exam from Badrunnesa College. She was appointed as an assistant teacher in 2013, after passing the Primary Teachers Recruitment exams. At that time, she was a degree student at Eden College. Kakoli Saha, head teacher of the school, said: Separate books should be arranged for blind teachers during the primary teachers training programme. District primary education officer Shibpado Dey said: Rokeyas performance is good. Well try to provide her Braille books.