Jia Wei, 12, has muscular spinal atrophy, a muscle-wasting disease, and is wheelchair-bound. Her motorised wheelchair, which weighs over 70kg, fits only into a large taxi. A round trip, from her home in Woodlands to the school near Stevens Road and back, would cost about $60, more than her parents could afford.

Even after a subsidy from the National Council of Social Service, her family would still have to pay about $600 a month, said her mother, Madam Loke Wai May, 46, who quit her job to care for her daughter full-time.

Her husband, Mr Loh Yap Song, 48, an executive at a label-printing company, is the family's sole breadwinner.

Last November, the principal of Jia Wei's former school, Evergreen Primary, highlighted her predicament to the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation, a philanthropic organisation. This year, the foundation gave Jia Wei $8,100 to pay for taxi rides.

'Jia Wei's love for learning and her ability to rise above the odds and excel in her studies in spite of her health challenges are qualities which we hope can inspire other students,' said its programme director Yap Su-Yin.

To encourage others like her, the foundation has also kick-started a disability fund at Evergreen Primary with a contribution of $20,000. The school has six physically disabled pupils and about 50 others diagnosed with learning disabilities.

To make things more comfortable for Jia Wei, Raffles Girls' School has assigned her a buddy and constructed a special table for her to use in the school's laboratory.

sumathis@sph.com.sg