By a strange twist of fate I got to talking with an uncle at the Mukeh Bhaat ceremony I had attended. He told me that he was the principal of Sena Sahayok School, a school for children with special needs run by the Bangladeshi army. I asked him how he got involved in special education. He then introduced me to his son who was diagnosed with autism and goes to the school. The school's motto is, "Special Child Special Right." That right being an education. He invited me to the school for a tour and to meet the children. I didn't think this chance encounter was mere coincidence so I said, yes.
The school is in the Dhaka cantonment. The cantonment is "Dhaka-lite;" there's less noise, rickshaws, people, and more structure and organization. People obey the traffic laws! The building itself is big and modern. Inside there is an administrative wing, classrooms, a physiotherapy room, speech and language therapy room, and a music and dance room, etc. The staff consists of a clinical psychologist, a speech language therapist, an occupational therapist, teachers, etc. To prepare its students for life after school and adult life in general, students learn a trade or skill and things like self care and cooking.
A student threw a tantrum in one of the classrooms I visited. Three teachers stood around him, dumbfounded. The teachers had no idea what to do. The principal talked to me after and said the biggest problem with his school is not a shortage of teachers, but the training they received, which is basically no training. The teachers become easily confused and frustrated in certain situations. This school needs someone to give them the proper training so they can meet each child's needs.
If you are reading this, please share this post with someone you know in special education (professors, teachers) willing to train teachers for a summer or more in Bangladesh at Sena Sahayok School.
The principal is fluent in English.
For more information, contact:
Email: ssbdarmy@yahoo.com
Physiotherapy Room - Filming was going on in there for a documentary.
Many of the students have social impairments. Notice this child has trouble making eye contact.
Speaking to the principal and teacher.
I came during lunch time.
What are you eating?
I noticed this board on my way out.
It had the pictures, names, and basic information of each child.
Talking to the kids.
The principal talking to one of the kids.
The principal. He loves the kids and knows them all by name.
Artwork done by the students.
Learning games.
The outside. As you can see it's wheelchair accessible.
There are about nine students in a class with about three teachers to each classroom.
There's no shortage of teachers, but training is needed.
The music and dance room. Traditional bengali musical instruments. Above was a mural of Happy Feet.
Large dance floor.
A cooking class where the children were learning to cook ruthi (bread).
Reinforcement through encouraging words and applause.
Special Olympic Winner.
The right side of the playground.
The left side of the playground.
A third world country like Bangladesh should be commended for establishing such a wonderful school.
No comments:
Post a Comment