GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA - Visually impaired student Regina Hoo Lai Kim turned speechless when her teacher told her that she had scored 6As and one B in her PMR examination.

The 15-year-old student who was accompanied by her father Hoo Chiew Chuan, 48, a businessman, and mother Sharmani Jane, a homemaker to collect her results from the St George's Girls School, said she expected to fail in all her seven subjects.

Regina who got a B in her Geography said she had the determination to succeed but at the same time she was worried about her results due to her poor vision.

"I studied on my own for about four to five hours each day and relied on my friends' help in Mathematics.

"I also owe my success to my teachers who had made the subjects as interesting as possible and who went out of their way to help me."

Regina, who has two other siblings aged 12 and 11, said she preferred to continue her Form Four studies in the Arts stream as her ambition was to be active in the theatre.

Regina's schoolmate Aliah Amil received the best birthday gift she could have asked for when she scored 8As in her PMR.

Aliah, who turned 15 yesterday, said her parents had promised her a video camera if she did well.

"My parents promised to treat me to my favourite pizza for lunch," she said.

The third in a family of five siblings, who aspires to become a lawyer, said both her elder sisters are her role models as they too were straight A scorers.

She said although she did not attend tuition, she was coached by her mother who is a teacher.

"My school teachers also helped me a lot," Aliah said.

In Johor Baru, another disabled person was a top-scorer.

Low Zhin Mein was born with hearing disabilities but this did not stop her from scoring 7As.

The 16-year-old student from SMK Pasir Gudang 2 received a certificate and a trophy as the state's top student in the special students category.

Zhin Mein, who has only 20% hearing, said she had to work harder as she was the only disabled person in her class.

"I am very happy," she said softly in Bahasa Malaysia.

Her parents speak to her in Bahasa Malaysia because that is the language that she uses in school.

Her father Low Piang Woon, 50, said that they used to send her to a primary school for the deaf and mute.

"We also sent her for speech therapy after she had an operation five years ago to enable her to hear," he said, adding the previously she could not hear anything at all.

Zhin Mein is among 11 special students in the state who received the "Excellent Award".

The Star/Asia News Network