PESHAWAR: Special students who are studying at Government Institute for the Blind in Nishtarabad in the provincial capital received a pleasant surprise when a Pakistani origin German donated Rs.0.1 million to the school’s children to help them buy new books and stationary. Muhammad Younis Afridi, the school’s principal, said there were at least 70 boys and girls studying at the institute. He said “The school was set up in 1962, although students have been provided accommodation and food, we are finding it difficult to obtain books; there is no printing press for Braille books in the province.” School teacher Irfan Khan told Daily Times that the schools had been running short of even basic academic books and stationeries for the last year, and this generous donation would enable the school to purchase the required books, stationery, frames and digits for visually impaired children.
He said that a person named Saad, who lives in Germany, contacted the school administration and offered to help them purchase the required books and stationary for school children. Saad sent the money in two installments and the school administration utilised them for books and stationary. The School had time and again sent applications of required books to the Social Welfare Department but had not received a response till today, Irfan added.
Intekhab Alam, a student at the school was thrilled with his new books and stationery at school. “I am very happy with my new books; I don’t like my old torn apart books” he said. The teaching staff of the schools lamented that most students at the school belong to poor families and their parents do not bear the expenses of the special children books for their children. He said that the government’s focus on special education was effectively zero.
Pakistan Association for Blind K-P President Qari Saad Noor said the challenges faced by people with visual impairments were myriad and the government needed to contact foreign institutes to make improvements in the special education sector. He said that traditional way of education through books and stationery could not help impaired children.
An official of the Social Welfare Department KP said that the government would soon embark upon a plan to revolutionise the special education sector in the province, adding that government has allocated Rs 460 million for 27 projects pertaining to the uplift of social welfare, special education and women development in the current budget. “As per the budget proposal the status of special education schools would be up-graded to elementary schools at divisional level” officials claimed.
