The Resource Unit for the Visually Impaired was established to give special needs students the opportunity to receive quality education in a much more conducive environment.
Yesterday, the unit located on Albert Street, Alberttown was officially commissioned by Education, Minister Priya Manickchand.
There was an existing building. Some $7M was used to transform the building to accommodate the programme.
Recognising that not enough emphasis was being placed on Special Education Needs (SEN), Government through the Education Ministry constructed this institution to ensure that such children are much more comfortable, allowing them to excel both recreationally and academically.
Minister Manickchand stated that it is universally accepted that education is the one sure way of changing circumstances. She said that Government understands that if it’s to take Guyana to higher levels, it must invest in the education sector, and throughout the years there has been a consistent commitment in this regard. The Education Minister said that noticeably, there have been tremendous results because of these investments.
“We are at a place now where we can truly expand and look at things where perhaps we have not been looking at carefully before…how we educate our children with special needs had not gotten the kind of attention it deserves if we are to properly meet the needs of children with special needs,” Minister Manickchand noted.
“Over the years, we have spent a lot of time, interest and money in changing that and so now we have far better infrastructure even though there is better we can do, we don’t have exercise books shortage and we have been meeting basic needs…overall the sector has done better,” Minister Manickchand explained.
Meanwhile, Principal Education Officer, Baydewan Rambarran, said that this was another step in the continuation of providing quality education. Educating special needs children, he said is very important and the commissioning of the Unit is evidence that the ministry is determined to ensure all children receive the education that is much needed for their individual development.
Chief Planning Officer and Chairperson of the National Commission on Disability, Evelyn Hamilton said that the ministry is becoming what it should be, a learning organisation where every child can receive quality education.
Over the next five years, the ministry will be developing a data base for Special Education Needs (SEN) to screen children of Nursery and Primary levels, conduct community-based child-find surveys of children not in school system and record annually the number of SEN children in the school system.
“We at the MOE intend to see that SEN children’s access to educational opportunities increase within the plan period. This will be done through a multifaceted approach that will see us publicising the policy guidelines for SEN children accessing educational opportunities, improving the quality of education service delivered by special schools, fast-tracking urgent repairs and rehabilitation works to special schools and mainstreaming SEN children over the five-year period,” Minister Manickchand stated.
Focus will also be on increasing SEN children’s access to educational opportunities by improving the quality of education offered, implementing policy guidelines and fast-tracking urgent repairs and rehabilitation works for special schools.
The ministry will also be seeking alternatives for SEN children to acquire basic work and life skills, while teachers will also be trained in different areas to deal with such children.
Source: (GINA) https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2014/05/08/education-ministry-commissions-special-facility-for-visually-impaired-students/