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Sharjah schools leave disabled students midway

Sharjah - Schools don't show enough interest in students with disabilities, admit officials and experts

A lack lustre attitude is being shown towards the special needs students in Sharjah, according to experts and parents.
They say the integration of special needs children in Sharjah schools are at crossroads due to lack of specialised teachers and quality education system.
Dr Fatima Hijazi, head of the physical therapy section at University of Sharjah, said that all the schools must be well-equipped to receive children with special needs education. However, most of the schools, both in government and private sectors, do not encourage enrolling of special needs children in normal schools as they think teachers have to make a great effort in learning process.
The schools are also hesitant to provide the students with basic amenities and transportation facilities that are essential for them.
Dr Rafat Ramzi, an official at medical profession licensing at the Health Authority added that normal students also must be trained to deal with their special needs classmates.
He added that interaction of normal students with special needs would reflect positively in their behavior and would also enhance their skills and mind capability.
"The only problem that faces special needs is fear from others, but interactions with others would enable them to break the fear barriers and be part of the society".
Hythem Al Hayari, director of Sharjah Autism Centre said schools that do not integrate special needs students can still introduce favourable environment starting from kindergarten stages to higher stages.
Meanwhile, the Sharjah Autism Centre has managed to integrate nine students in regular schools, five of them attending full times while four others are attending schools for three to two days. International studies revealed that the early integration of autistic children - from eight years - will develop theirs skills and minds.
Al Hayari said that the teachers must undergo training on how to deal with students with special needs before they got hired.
The education curriculum also should be developed to benefit the students of special needs.
An official at Our Sons Rehabilitation Centre in Sharjah said that the centre has 80 special needs students aged between 3 and 20, who are being provided services by 35 specialised teachers.
The centre evaluates level of disability and intelligence of special needs students before they will be enrolled in classes. The centre managed to integrate 25 students in various government schools in Sharjah and planning to integrate three students aged between 5 and 11 years, the next academic year 2015/2016.
Teachers will accompany these students in schools to help them gain speech and writing skills, which makes them less-dependent on others.
Amal Sabri, director of Emirates Autism Centre and mother of first autistic student integrated in regular school, said early detection of the autism would contribute to improving the child behavior and minds, which eventually help the integration process by 70 per cent. Sabri said that schools must cooperate with special needs centre to help the development of these children. Amna Ali, a mother of 11-year-old autistic student urged the concerned authorities to oblige schools to provide well trained staff, advanced technology to integrate this section of students in regular classes. "Our children face difficulties in normal schools, so we prefer to leave them at the rehabilitation centre, which provides best services"
Um Ahmed, another mother of autistic child said: "My son's capabilities deteriorated after his integration in a school. So we preferred to send him back to the rehabilitation centre." Ahmed Lutfy, a psychiatric specialist at Autism Centre said that the students who failed to continue with integration process suffered depression after they were sent back to centres.
An official at the Special needs Education department at Sharjah Education Zone said that there are 65 students of special needs got integrated in kindergarten schools in government schools between 2014 and 2015. Meanwhile, 27 students were send back to centres. Around 42 students were sent for re-evalutaion.
He added the department has employed 43 male teachers and 13 female teachers who were specialised in imparting special needs education in government department. Head of a private school said that the education department is monitoring the private schools that integrate students with special needs and ensure whether they are providing best services to the disabled students.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com