Madurai: Student took exam on stretcher with scribe; says he did not want to "give up" on medical dream

A plus-one public examination centre at Madura College Higher Secondary School in Madurai witnessed the dedication of a student who wanted to pursue his ambition of becoming a doctor, has written the Tamil exam lying on a stretcher with the help of a scribe despite suffering from hip and leg injuries due to a recent accident.

The sorry state of affairs happened to Dinesh from Virathanoor near Madurai city, who has been studying for the first group at the same school.

School Headmaster Balajiram said the accident happened on July 22, 2024, when he was on his way to school after getting a free ride (lift) on a two-wheeler. However, they met with an accident in which a bus ran over him. He underwent operations and treatment at the Government Rajaji Hospital, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

"He sustained hip and leg broken injuries in the accident," said his single-parent (mother) Thenmozhi, who had given up her daily waging job at a rice mill to take care of her younger son. He is recovering well, she added.

Balajiram, when he inquired, came to know that the student boarded the bike to be 'punctual' to school. He was a bright student in class and scored 420 out of 500 in the Class X examination. He nurtured a dream of becoming a doctor.

So, the school teachers had supported him to the maximum and even took classes at his home during his preparations. He was initially in a position to write the examination in the wheelchair after he recovered over the months and attended the practical examination in a wheelchair.

However, he was dropped when lifted, leading to injury again and he was not in a position to sit and write the examination, according to the report by The New Indian Express.

"The incident happened last week, so the school took the boy to the medical board in the Government Rajaji Hospital. The board also quickly examined and certified him before they approached the school education department for a scribe to help him in the examination," said Balajiram.

The student, Dinesh, added that he did not want to "give up".