Mari's story of writing for her exam ... while caring for brother

Mari's story of writing for her exam ...

while caring for brother

A schoolgirl who was studying at Galle, Udalamaththa Maha Vidyalaya in grade 10 had come with her younger brother aged three and a half years last 23rd to school for her second term test. 

The student is G. Mari Amma and a brother of this schoolgirl had fallen sick, he was taking treatment at Karapitiya Teaching hospital and this schoolgirl had to look after her small brother. The girl's
father too away for work as labourer that day for the purpose of earning the day's living. 

On the said date it was the Sinhala Language paper and Literature paper of the term test that she had to tackle and under the circumstances she had decided to keep away from the paper. She had even told this to one of her friends. "Malli is in hospital with mother ... so it is I who has to look after malli. Because of that I won't be able to come for the exam", she told her friend. 

The said student in fact has had one of her legs amputated. She however was clever at studies. The examination commenced that day at the stipulated time and as Mari Amma had not turned up, acting principal, Mr. K.H.S. Thushara had come to know about it. He has inquired about this and had taken steps to bring the student and had sent a three-wheeler to her home. 

Later this student has come for the exam with her small brother and it was with the small brother that she turned up last 24th. As the mother and brother had come back home after six days in hospital, Mari Amma came all alone to school and managed to sit for the examination. 

They were living in an estate line of houses in Udalamaththa in dire straits of poverty. They even scarcely had a proper home to call it a dwelling as such. Though she was minus a leg Maari Amma was a strong-hearted girl. This is what acting principal of Udalamaththa Maha Vidyalaya, Galle told us: "This girl is a clever girl for studies. She came to this school being admitted to class 9. It was when she was following her education at another school in eighth class that she happened to lose her leg. It was because she was suffering from a cancer that one of her legs was amputated. Even during the period that she could not attend school she had managed to find the school text books and after having her education that way that she became 8th in the class. When she came to our school she had to study among other children and in that class she became 4th in the class. She is a student who is clever in facing challenges. Actually because she was not present that day for the exam I sent a three-wheeler and got her down and gave the opportunity for her  to write for the exam. She in fact wrote for the exam even being 4o minutes late". The principal also said that if some affluent person would care to give a lending hand to the family of this child, it would be a great merit.