Special Education Center
Special Education means specially designed instructions to meet the unique learning needs of children with Special educational needs and disability to provide them an opportunity for developing their fullest potential. Organized on the basis of four broadly defined categories of disability: mental disability, visual impairment, hearing impairment and physical disability; special education consists of educational programmer’s and practices designed to eliminate the disadvantages associated with each of the above-mentioned disabilities.
The scheme establishment of special education was launched to provide special education and rehabilitation services (physiotherapy, skill-based training such as computer, pre vocational trainings, speech therapy, audiometry, and referral services, and counseling of parents/guardians) to children of two major disabilities (visually impaired and hearing impaired). Education is one of the basic rights of every citizen and it’s the responsibility of the state to provide free and quality education to all especially to PWDs, except this institution there is no public and private sector facility for special children in entire AJK. Children with disabilities needs special environment, teachers and equipment to learn. Department of Social welfare took the responsibility to establish Special Education in Ajk to ensure the availability of one of the basic humans right that is education.
The World Disability Report highlights that children with disabilities are less likely to start school than their able-bodied peers. They also have lower retention and transition rates. With some 57 million primary-aged children out of school worldwide, it is estimated that up to a third of these children have some form of disability. The UN estimates that 98 per cent of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school. In AJK, the proportion of male children identified with disabilities in private schools is higher, “suggesting that parents are more likely to be willing to invest in their son’s education whether or not they have a disability. By contrast, a larger proportion of girls, irrespective of their disability status, are likely to be out of school.
Objectives of the project: Ø
- To provide education and training facilities to the children with two type of disabilities i.e. Visual Impaired and Hearing Impairment with capacity of 100 students.
- To provide diagnostic/ assessment services through disability board.
Major Activities :
Special education aims to provide accommodated education for disabled students such as learning disabilities, learning difficulties , communication disorders, emotional and behavioral disorders, physical disabilities and other disabilities. Disabled students are likely to benefit from additional educational services such as different approaches to teaching, the use of technology, a specifically adapted teaching area, a resource room, or a separate classroom.
Following major activities are performed in Special Education:
- VIC :_( visually impaired children) Blind children are being trained to read and write through brail system. These children have promoted to class IV in this short span of time. During education, these students are also taught Orientation and Mobility, daily living skills and manners. Extracurricular activities are also organized for the students, which include indoor and outdoor games.
- HIC :_( Hearing Impaired children) and slow learners Hearing impaired children are taught through sign language. Through sign language, efforts are being made to enable them to be able to communicate with others. These children are continuing to study and write under the “Total Communication Skill”. Along with education attention is also being paid to the extracurricular activities of these Students
2.1 Slow learners :_ There are some students in the institution, who are hearing impaired as well as slow learner. These are being taught “Manners and daily living skills” through various activities so that they can move forward in life.
School Activities: _ Ø A parent teacher meeting (PTM) is held at the end of each term in which on the average more than 90% parents participate. Awareness sessions for parents are also organized at the center to educate them about the improvement of the life skills and Special educational needs and disability
- One day in a week is specified for HI children to improve their physical fitness and health, Marshal Art training programs and indoor/outdoor sports.
- Different types of Audio video aids are also provided to clarify the educational concepts to HI students.
- There is a fully equipped computer lab within the center, in which internet facility is also available.
- Various National and International days like Kashmir Day, Pakistan Day, Iqbal Day, Teachers Day etc., are also celebrated in the institution. Apart from this Eid Millan Parties, spring festivals are also organized by the institution.