The Ministry of Education is working with non-government organisations such as the Fiji Society for the Blind as they place greater emphasis to ensure that children with disability are not deprived of better access to education.
This initiative is in line with Pillar 9 of the People’s Charter for Change, Peace and Progress to make Fiji a knowledge-based society for all.
A major achievement of the Ministry of Education for students with special needs this year is the successful transition of 176 Special Education students into mainstream schools and a handful of them are from the Fiji School for the Blind.
The Fiji School for the Blind acting head teacher Mrs Makereta Musukasau said 11 students had been integrated into various primary and secondary schools.
“We’ve got two Form Four students at DAV Girls College, one Form Six student too at DAV Girls College and two Form Five students at DAV College,” Mrs Musukasau said.
“We also have a class 5 student at the Tagaqe District School in Nadroga, a Form Three student at John Wesley College, a Form Seven student at Dudley High School and two students integrated into the Fiji National University.
“It is important for parents to send their children with special needs to school on time so that they are not deprived of education and can be integrated into regular schools when the time is right.”
Government has allowed visually-impaired students to be integrated into regular schools to provide them the same opportunities and educational experiences as those provided for children with normal eye sight.
“It is also to allow blind children and their families, neighbours, and friends to interact socially in normal situations. Development of the right educational environment will make integration of blind children a reality,” Mrs Musukasau added.
The Fiji School for the Blind roll is 47 with 24 boarding students and 23 day students.
-End-