Compiled by C. ARUNO, SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI and R. ARAVINTHAN

A TEACHER born without both legs and his left arm has not let his physical limitations stop him from fulfilling his duties as an educator, Berita Harian reported.

Hashim Mohamad, 36, is a Bahasa Melayu teacher at SMK Mengkebang. He uses only his right hand to move around and perform daily tasks with unwavering passion.

“Disability is not an excuse to fail,” said Hashim, who has been teaching since 2014.

“I strive to be on par with other teachers.”

To ease his movement, the school provided him with a special classroom on the ground floor, avoiding the need to climb stairs.

He also drives to work in a vehicle modified for persons with disabilities (OKU).

The Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris graduate’s dedication has been recognised through several awards, including the JPN Kelantan Excellent OKU Teacher Award in 2018 and the JKM Successful OKU Award in 2015.

> Two siblings have been forced to drop out of school due to financial hardship, dashing their dreams of becoming a doctor and a soldier, the daily also reported.

Nur Auni Asna Mohd Norhisham, 16, and her brother Mohammad Nor Hilman, 14, have not been to school for over a year, as their mother could no longer afford the cost of their education.

Their mother, Sapiah Dolah, 38, has been raising four children on her own since her husband disappeared several years ago.

She earns only RM50 to RM55 daily from selling vegetables, and pays RM250 a month in rent.

“I feel guilty that two of my children had to stop schooling, but what choice do I have?

“Even daily meals are just enough to get by, let alone covering school expenses for all of them at once. I simply can’t afford it,” she said.

Nur Auni said that both she and Mohammad Nor Hilman were previously placed in the second-highest performing class and were still eager to continue studying, but circumstances forced them to stop halfway.

“My ambition is to become a doctor and my brother wanted to be a soldier, but that dream may now be buried. It’s heartbreaking to give up on our ambitions, but it is our last option,” she said.

Nur Auni now helps care for her younger siblings.

Their plight caught the attention of the Cempaka Merah Asnaf Society, an NGO which has stepped in to provide assistance.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.