KHDA ensures ‘special saga’ has happy ending

KHDA ensures ‘special saga’ has happy ending
20 children with special learning and educational needs have finally found a regular school that has accepted them for who they are – children who want to learn and contribute positively to the society. 
With special permissions from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), The Elite English School has accepted 20 children with special learning needs after their present school - which housed and taught the kids for 15 years - decided to close the special needs section for reasons related to space constraints. 
43 children were receiving their academic and special intervention services at Emirate English Speaking School that decided to close the special needs section in February last year, giving parents just weeks to find a another school that would give them a similar educational setting. 
Parents were aghast at the short notice and appealed to KHDA for help. KHDA intervened and the school agreed to extend the services for another year. Meanwhile the difficult search for another place of education began and after knocking on many doors they found success at The Elite English School. By the end of the year just 20 children remained – the remaining having found spaces in other schools and centres for children with special needs.
The children will began the new academic year at The Elite English School today without losing time or compromising on their educational needs. Their special needs educator and some of the staff are also moving to the new school, enabling continuity for the children. Parents of the 20 children were elated at the outcome and were relieved that their kids finally had a place to continue their education. 
Mohammed Darwish, Chief Licensing and Customer Relations at KHDA that facilitated and over saw the move said, “We are extremely happy that the children have found a place to continue their education. We thank the owner, the principal and the management of The Elite English School who backed the initiative and supported the children. Extra efforts - such as this one - taken by schools are always highly appreciated by KHDA. We look forward to other schools following suit and taking extra efforts to support children with special learning needs.” 
The principal at The Elite English School Mrs. Vatsala Mathews said, “I am glad the parents approached us and everything worked out. All the pieces fitted together - our premises had the required the capacity, we understood the needs of the children and are willing to put in the effort. But more importantly we were given the necessary permission by KHDA. I feel privileged that our school is going to be a part of the education process of these special kids.”
The principal has however confirmed that due to limited resources the school is unable to admit more children requiring similar services. She confirmed, “We have committed our current resources to just these 20 children for the next three years. While this is not hopeful for other parents of children with special learning needs, I would stress that this decision has been taken to maintain the quality of the services.”
Stanley Mathews, a parent said, “Most schools have children with special learning needs who do not receive the required support. Ideally it should be mandatory for all schools to have special educational services for children who need it. A policy that supports this with a system that backs it would be great for both the parents and the children. All parents have aspirations for their children and all children irrespective of their learning needs can positively contribute to the society. Every child has strengths and positive aspects that we should focus on.”
He urges parents to recognize and accept the problems early. The sooner parents accept there is a problem, the quicker they can intervene. This gives children a chance to overcome the problem and getting back on track. 
“I thank the management of the Emirates English Speaking School for the year’s extension and the management of The Elite English School for welcoming our children. A big thank you to KHDA for all their efforts and input,” he concluded.
Another parent Sheeba George was very philosophical when she said, ““It’s been a year of uncertainty for our kids. Many schools were approached with the idea of starting a section for children with learning difficulties. Though they all heard us out there was just one school that came forward to make this a reality. We sincerely thank KHDA for their continuous support in trying to find a solution for our kids and the Management of Elite English School for understanding that education is a necessity for every child irrespective of their learning capacity".