A special kind of learning

Dip, 7, a high functioning boy with social communication difficulties, goes to a special school in Dhaka. There, his friends all have various physical disabilities, and they attend the same classroom. They are not familiar with the concept of IEP (individual education plan) there. Dip learns vocational stuff along with his basic ABCs, and he is good in mathematics and computer basics. He finds it difficult when someone asks him a question. But he loves to mingle with people. His smile wins people’s hearts. He loves painting and singing, but his teachers don’t have the time or patience to set him back on track whenever he gets distracted. Sam, 7, a high functioning boy with social and communication difficulties, goes to a mainstream school in New York. The institution he goes to is familiar with IEP, which reviews quarterly in CSE (Committee for Special Education). His parents are members of that CSE committee and they have the right to call a meeting if needed. Sam is a champ in mathematics. His classteacher proudly says: “One day, Sam will earn a PhD in mathematics. I am so proud of him.” Sam is the heart of his class. His teachers and friends always motivate him to interact with others. When he does, they appreciate his efforts a lot. Heath, 6, a sweet little boy who’s had blindness since birth, goes to a mainstream school with braille support in New York. He is the “Superman” of his class. His teachers and friends have given him that nickname out of love. They even put on a Superman sticker on his white cane. Braille is everywhere in his school, in addition to the text that they are given. Heath never finds it difficult to be at his school. Two years ago, I travelled to New York with my four-year-old barely verbal and rarely eye contact-making boy. When he started going to school there, I stumbled upon a little boy who could tell stories, make good eye contact with his beautiful eyes, was a champ in mathematics, had interest in singing and dancing, and even participated in sporting events and the funfair in his school. It wasn’t any sort of magic, but the hard work that his school put in made the boy’s abilities a reality. He was his teacher’s favorite student, the best friend to every other student. Everyone motivated him to be more proactive socially. His school changed his life. Coming back to Dhaka, I found it very difficult to admit my son in school. Special schools are not for a high-functioning kid like him, and no mainstream school is ready to adopt IEP, something he requires. In grade 1 at a mainstream school, he had two academic subjects: Maths and reading, and a few other subjects for basic knowledge. He was fairly okay in them. I am aware that in a country like Bangladesh, where the light of basic education has yet to reach most of its geography, it’s delusional to expect New York-level like education for any segment of society. But I am talking about Dhaka, the capital of this country, where we can find American food, clothing, accessories, cars, world-class hotels, spas, and other such commodities, where a surprising amount of parents can afford a New York-level education if available. And trust me, if we really want to provide quality education for our children, it won’t seem that expensive. We only have to feel the importance of providing a proper and quality education to our kids. There are parents who go abroad with their special kids. Get trained there and establish small schools (maybe at home) for their own kids. But it’s not a solution. We want to see a revolution in special education on a broad canvas. Our government needs to take the initiative so that mainstream schools can’t deny admission to special children who are good in academics. When we were planning to come back here, I sat down to talk with numerous teachers, principals, and the school psychologist. They were very concerned about my son’s education here in Bangladesh. I was surprised when a certain school psychologist told me that she shad tudied a lot about special education in Bangladesh, and had found that our prime minister and her daughter were working on autism. Special education is now available in Bangladesh. There are so many boys and girls looking for jobs here in Dhaka -- why not appoint them as shadow teachers for special kids at mainstream schools? An IEP can be set for every special child, which needs to to be reviewed periodically. If students need any kind of therapy, they should be able to get it at school. Last but not least, special kids who are good at academics should have the right to be admitted to mainstream schools.