Efforts of special needs children bear fruits
The disabled students plant vegetables, take care of them as they grow, and sell them to customers
MUSCAT: North Al Sharqiyah Schools have created vegetable gardens for students with special needs. The gardens serve three schools in the North Al Sharqiyah Province, and are cared for by 30 students with mental disabilities, ages 8 to 21 years.
These students plant vegetables, take care of them as they grow, and sell them to consumers.
The aim of the programme is to improve the self-confidence, while teaching professional skills, to students with intellectual disabilities.
“Teachers from the school came up with the idea, in order to engage overactive students who have poor concentration in the classrooms. The gardens were built with the support of the Omani LNG company, which included donations of seedlings, seeds and related equipment,” said Rahma Al Hajri, a special education teacher.
“The project aims to change society’s views of mentally disabled students, to provide the students with professional skills, and to find a source of income, as well as use the opportunity to impart knowledge about plants,” Rahma added.
“The cultivation of vegetables has helped us engage the students in a vital activity and increase their concentration so much that they have started planting vegetables at home, also. Together, we have learnt about agriculture and aspire to extend the effort to planting more crops, and spread this idea to other schools in the Sultanate,” Rahma noted.