Sunday 14 November 2010

A RAY OF HOPE FOR NABAWAN SPECIAL CHILDREN



CARING….Siti Shahira (third from left) and the staff of SMK Nabawan Special Education Unit posing with the special students.

THANKS to the dedication and conviction of Siti Shahira Musa, a fresh graduate teacher from Johor, there is now a ray of hope for children with physical and mental disability here, to acquire quality education and valuable knowledge for them to survive adulthood.

These children are currently enrolled in the Special Education Unit at SMK Nabawan here. Among the disability of the children are dyslexia, slow learner, physical, hearing, and sight problems.

This was especially true, as under the coordination of Siti Shahira, who majored in special education, the Unit which started out with just one student on Jan 1 this year had now increased its number of students to 10.

Another 10 more students aged from 13 to 17 are expected to come in next year to join their counterparts.

SMK Nabawan was Siti Shahira’s first posting after graduating from the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Perak, and her conviction to see that special children enjoy quality education as reflected in the successful running and development of the Unit had earned her praises from the principal and education office here.

Nabawan Education Officer, Osman Aganduk said he gave full support to the SMK Nabawan Special Education Unit because it gives much hope to the special children here.

“Undoubtedly, it gives as much hope to special children in Nabawan, this is really in line with the special education mission to give special children quality education with the hope that they could one day return to the mainstream education. Even if they could not get into mainstream they still could continue to learn in the special education classes because the subjects taught are not too different from the mainstream,” he said.

Osman described the set up as an opening for children with disability in Nabawan District and its vicinity to develop their potential so that they would no longer being neglected.

“Normally, it is rather unfortunate that children with disability are often neglected so with this class at least they are being taken care of in terms of education,” he said.

He thus said Siti Shahira’s effort and dedication in managing the Unit as well as her love and care for the children there was much appreciated and supported by the District Education Office (PPD) and the Principal of SMK Nabawan.

Osman noted that the unit for secondary school is the only one here and despite being just 11 months old, it managed to enroll five male and five female students plus two more additional teachers.

He commended its Principal, Ajmain Idris for his support especially for giving the building to the Special Education Unit despite others applying for it too.

He then disclosed that the Nabawan PPD had also forwarded the application from SMK Nabawan to the State Education Department, for a Special Education Hostel to allow those living in far-flung areas here to attend class easier.

“I fully support the idea and we appeal for the application to be approved and if it is approved we hope it will not just for 10 students but more and to be equipped with all the necessary facilities,” he said.

He explained that this is necessary as special children would face challenges if they stayed in normal school dormitories.

PROUD…..Osman (3rd from left) posing with Ajmain (3rd from right), Siti Shahira (2nd from right), the students helper, Marlyn binte Marom (left), teachers Abdul Rahim B. Omar (2nd left) and Jaini Solon (right).

Besides expressing gratitude to the Ministry and Education Department, Osman also registered his appreciation to Nabawan Assemblyman, Datuk Bobbey Suan for donating a wheel chair to the SMK Nabawan special education unit.

“I also want to thank his wife Datin Barbara Edward for donating reading materials to the unit’s library that was eventually named after her,” he said.

He hoped that her noble move would encourage others to come forward to do the same.

“I myself felt it is my duty to help these special children by donating some books for them,” he said.

Osman also called on parents in Nabawan and surrounding areas who have children with disability to come forward to send them to the special education unit in SMK Nabawan now that it has the facility and expertise.

Principal Ajmain meanwhile assured that the Unit would continue to get his full backing as he admired the commitment of the teachers, particularly the coordinating teacher, Siti Shahira. He noted that Siti Shahira was so committed that she even ventured into villages here during her free time in search for special children.

“This Unit is very successful and I will definitely give my support and consideration to whatever it needs,” he said, adding that there is no limit on the number of special students SMK Nabawan would take in.

“If it is over capacity then we will try to find ways and means to accommodate all of them,” he said.

Meanwhile, a cheerful Siti Shahira noted that unlike in the urban areas where a major problem of special children was on mobility, in the interior the problem was mainly on poor IQ.

However, she was delighted to note that after getting special education some of the special children could now read and count.

She was also elated that the students were becoming more interested in attending the class compared to the attendance of one day in a week when the Unit just started.

UTENSIL….The students learning how to wash the dishes and other kitchen utensils.

“Now we are having full attendance and I think they enjoy it ... they also have chance to do outdoor activities like planting vegetables and others,” she said.

For special education, according to her, the students were not segregated into specific class level like in the mainstream secondary school where students started from Form One until Form Five before sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

“However, we do assess them and those having potential to go to Form Four, we will register them ... it all depends on their IQ,” she said, adding that so far of the present 10 students, two of them might be sitting for SPM and three for the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) in 2012.

Siti Shahira said there are about 14 subjects in special education among them Bahasa Melayu, English, Maths, Social and Environment Science, Living Skills, Moral Education, Islamic education, self grooming and behaviour as well as multimedia.

She said the class had just undergone renovation last July to put in place the various components because special education is being taught according to components.

Noting that some of the students are living as far as in Pensiangan, she believed they are more special children out there but could not get to SMK Nabawan because of transportation problem.

It was for this reason that the Unit through the school had applied for funding to build the Special Education Hostel, she added.

On her conviction towards the Unit and its children, Siti Shahira said it had been her aspiration since young that she wanted to do something worthwhile to assist the less fortunate and underprivileged in the society, the children especially.

Acknowledging more needed to be done, but she can afford a little smile, as her effort spent in setting up the unit from zero was now beginning to bear fruits.

“The journey is made easier due to the full support from the ministry, department and school,” she said.

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