allAfrica.com: Mauritius: Making Room and Catering for Children with Special Needs (Page 1 of 1)

Amir Khan's film gave rise to various comments and suggestions last Thursday. Parents and teachers present at the show acknowledged their roles in helping the child adapt to his/her environment. However, the authorities must also play their part and provide the necessary amenities for these children.

Learning to write involves huge - and often insurmountable - difficulties for dyslexic children. But there are ways of promoting the other abilities of such children.

It was a time of intense emotion. The projection last Thursday of Taare Zameen Par, movie by Amir Khan, appeared as a surge of awareness for teachers and parents present - and hopefully for the minister of Education, Dharam Gokhool. This joint initiative of the School of Human Values (Ecole des Valeurs Humaines) and the Reflection Group on Education and Training (Groupe de Réflexion sur l'Education et la Formation (GREF) gave rise to many comments on the way the system should better cater for children considered as different. If the movie focused on a child with dyslexia, the debate could be extended to all children suffering from such disabilities.

The film is about Ishaan, a nine year-old boy sent away from his home by his parents because he was seen as a failure at school. The movie relates his problems and his teachers' indifference until a new art teacher realises that he is dyslexic and takes him in hand to help him adapt to the school. The question is: what would have happened to Ishaan if he had not met someone who understood his problem ?

The same issue exists in Mauritius "I had the opportunity of meeting someone who made me become the person I am today But there are people who obviously do not have the same good fortune," said Menon Munien after the movie.

"The most important thing in life is love. The movie showed that some love and patience by a teacher were enough to enable the child to make so much progress."

This is why it is important that teachers and parents keep listening to their wards to try and detect whether there is a problem and find a solution before it is too late. "As parents we must be very careful with our children. But it is also the case in our classrooms. Some pupils may be having difficulty following the class but these pupils might only see things differently and want to learn differently. We must constantly keep this in mind and think about these pupils when we teach," commented Gilberte Chung, the director of the Bureau of Catholic Education (BEC) who was the coordinator of the special needs department in the ministry of Education in 2005.

Another teacher stressed on various ways of making sure the child has recovered from his/her difficulties. "The most important thing is love. The movie showed that some love and patience by a teacher were enough to enable the child to make so much progress."

What teachers must keep in mind is that these children can get over their difficulties. "For some, it will be quite easy while others will probably take more time. But methods are there to help them," said another teacher. In fact, teachers must be attentive to their pupils to detect any problem. The rest just comes with time and support by specialists.

Dev Ramkhelawon could not hold back his tears during the film although it was not the first time he had watched it. "This movie made me realise what mistakes I made with my own daughter now 11 years old," he regretfully admitted. Although her dyslexia was detected early, his daughter still has problems with writing and even more with reading. "The system must be changed. Do you find it acceptable that my daughter, who does not know how to read and write, will sit for the CPE exams?" (See inset)

The system itself is one of the causes of failure for children with special needs. The "fierce competition, elitism and lack of leisure time" denounced by a parent obviously do not provide "different" children with opportunities for success. "Competition forces children to compare themselves with others while they should try and excel themselves," he added.

It will probably take some time before the National Policy and Strategy Paper on Special Education Needs delivers the goods. However, the ministry must be quick to make sure no child is left out of the system. Luckily enough, minister Gokhool committed himself after he had heard the "responsible words of those present". "We have been doing a number of things for special needs education and we will continue."

AUTOMATIC PROMOTION, THE MAIN FLAW

â- "I have never wanted my child to become a laureate I just want her to be able to read and write so that she can manage in life and find a job that suits her," said Dev Ramkhelawon. However, the system as it is now obviously does not allow him to achieve his objectives. Although she never had the required marks to get into upper classes, Dev's daughter is now in Standard 6. "If she could have learned the basic skills right at the beginning, I would be able to send her to a private school now But as she can't read, I don't know what I can do now." If the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate does not introduce any changes into the system, then parents and the school head should be allowed to make the right decision when a child faces difficulties.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AS AN OUTLET

â- The movie shows that the best way of getting a child's attention is to go off the beaten track. The art teacher organises a drawing competition for teachers and pupils, which brings everyone out of their shells. One of the parents present stressed this idea. "Competitions and activities such as Innoved are ways that will help us go off the beaten track," So the announcement by Gilberte Chung of a big drawing competition for all primary schools, organised by the Committee for the promotion of national unity (Comité pour la Promotion de l'Unité nationale), was welcome

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