Training for teachers to fill gaps in special needs education
dubai — A workshop was held in Dubai to train teachers of UAEbased Pakistani schools on how to create and operate departments for students that require special education and pastoral care.
Currently, most Pakistani schools — which are community schools with low tuition fees — lack the resources to establish departments for people with determination, according to Samina Nasir, head of the education committee at the Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD).
To address the issue, the educators were provided training during the workshop, organised by PAD, on how teachers can still be trained in order to help the students.
Nasir has called on Pakistani schools to seek assistance from the association if they are short of resources or need guidance on how to help students that require special needs education (SNE).
Many children with determination come to our classes and we try to manage them in our own away, but we need to provide special training to teachers.” Seemab Chaudhry, teacher, Pakistan Islamia Higher Secondary School Sharjah
Nasir told Khaleej “Schools may be handling the situation with limited resources, but we need to have proper SNE departments. The solutions that were discussed were ways that teachers can be trained in order to better deal with children with learning difficulties.”
Nasir added that the PAD is organising several seminars as such for the professional development of teachers and providing resources to help them meet the required indicators set by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).
Seemab Chaudhry, a teacher at the Pakistan Islamia Higher Secondary School Sharjah, said that her school does not have a SNE department. “I think it should be implemented in all schools. Many children with determination come to our classes and we try to manage them in our own away, but we need to provide special training to teachers.”
KHDA launched the Dubai Inclusive Education Policy Framework last year, which aims to ensure that students with determination would be admitted in all educational institutions in the emirate.