The Special
Needs Classes was established in 2008. It has two (2) stream classrooms with a
total number of nineteen (19) children with intellectual disabilities; fourteen
(14) are male while five (5) are female. There are three (3) special teachers
in the school with one (1) attendant.
As the normal
practice in some other special schools in the country, the Special
Needs Classes lack the necessary play and development materials for the
children including appropriate chairs and tables. Further, the two classes have
no electricity and most parents find it very difficult to send their children with
intellectual disability to the school due to
1. The nature of
the school and
2. Discrimination
attitude of some taxi drivers to pick their children to and from school.
Meanwhile, it is the responsibility
of government of all countries to ensure that children with disabilities
receive good quality education in an inclusive environment. Also, the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) recognizes the right of all children
with disabilities both to be included in the general education systems and to
receive the individual support they require.
It is an established fact that
inclusion of children with disabilities in education is important for four main
reasons.
1. Education contributes to human capital and is
thus a key determinant of personal well-being and welfare for people with
disabilities.
2. Excluding children with disabilities from
educational and employment opportunities has high social and economic costs.
For example, adults with disabilities tend to be poorer than those without
disabilities, but education changes this status.
3. Countries cannot achieve “Education for All” or
the Millennium Development Goal of universal completion of primary education
without ensuring access to education for children with disabilities.
4. Countries that are signatories to the UN
Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) cannot fulfill
their responsibilities under Article 24 of the CRPD.
Conclusion
The Unit Head of
the Special Needs Classes needs the following play and development materials to enable them support the special needs children to learn
basic life skills for a living:
·
E-toys
and puzzles,
·
TV set and play & development CDs,
·
Painting Furniture,
·
Electricity
and support to pay the electricity bills,
·
Vehicle
to be conveying the children to and from school.
How well do we care or perform our social responsibilities ?????
This is where the teaching materials are kept
The nature of the classroom
This is the Classroom
This is what i mean...............
