Blind student appeals for help to pursue career

By LINAH BENYAWA

The quest for a teaching career for a blind girl might not be fulfilled due to lack of fees.

Masila Margaret Musyawa, 22, who was born blind, is worried that she could be locked out of Kenyatta University (KU) if she fails to pay for her education and basic needs.

A third born in a family of six, she is the only child born blind but her condition has not deterred her from seeking education and better her life.

The former student at the Thika School for the Blind, dream of becoming a teacher is far from being secured since she comes from a poor family and as the May 6 admission deadline approaches, she feels she might lose her chance.

“The Joint Admission Board (JAB) sent me a letter approving my admission to KU main campus where I am supposed take a Bachelors degree in Special Education including Kiswahili and Music. The deadline for admission is May 6, but I am stuck due to lack of finances and I am afraid I could lose this chance,” said Musyawa.

Musyawa had a strong C+ in her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination and her quest to become a teacher for special needs is what has given her the urge to soldier on to help other children with special needs.

Born in Makueni, she joined Likoni School for the Blind at the South Coast where she passed and scored 352 out of 500 marks in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) after which she enrolled at Thika School for the Blind.

“After finishing high school, I went back to my former primary school where I have been volunteering as a teacher for the last one and a half years and though the admission to the University was extended from January 3 to May 6, I am in a dilemma since I do not have funds,” she added.

Musyawa said a charitable organisation known as Chandi Parava Charitable Trust, which has been funding her tuition fees since she joined secondary school does not support basic necessities and other requirements at the university.