A Visit to a Very Special School

Since our arrival I have been asking about special education in India. The bottom line is, it basically doesn’t exist for the child who falls in the higher functioning ranges. Children with mild to moderate learning disabilities are just assimilated into the classroom. If a problem is identified a counselor works with the family. All of the extra help comes from the parents at home. There may be a basic remedial class sometime during the day but that is about the extent of the help a child will receive. Most children get frustrated with the system and do not finish formal education.

There is a bright light in the darkness! Today I had a special treat. They had arranged for us to visit schools in the city of Hyderabad. Upon my request since a visit to a special education school was arranged just for me. A driver took me and our USEFI liaison (US Education Foundation in India) to the Sweekaar School for the Rehabilitation of the Handicapped. The experience was priceless.

This school is a non-profit school that relies on the generosity of donations and support from large organizations. The government of India does not fund any type of program for special needs children or the disabled. The school welcomed me with my name in lights…”Welcome Ms. Barbara Fulbright Teacher US Educational Foundation in India”.
After a power point presentation, we toured the school with a wonderful and gracious woman. We saw facilities for psychological testing, physical therapy, vocational training, elderly rehabilitation, training for the deaf, a library for research, a sensory playground and so much more.

In the early childhood program there were teachers working one-on-one with a child and a parent, these were children under 2 years old. Much of the care will be done at home after a parent is trained. I visited small classes for the severely learning disabled and down syndrome children. Every time I walked into a room the children and the teacher stood up to greet me. They were all so precious!

There is a great need for special education teachers here in India. The founder and principal shared his burdens with us. He spends much of his own money to fund the school. He took out a loan at 24% interest recently. He has started other schools here in the area but there is still a long way to go. While education in science and math is of the highest priority special needs children are at the bottom of the educational ladder.