Miss-Delectable New Member Joined Apr 18, 2004 Messages 17,160 Reaction score 7 Jan 1, 2011 #1 http://www.observer.org.sz/index.php?news=19281[/URL “I am humbled.” This was the brief response Siteki School for the Deaf Principal S’mangele Magagula could utter when she learnt that her charges had done her proud by achieving a 100% pass rate in the Standard Five examinations. This was mores because it was her first year in charge of this school which caters for children with special needs, in this case, hearing impairment. In a class of six pupils who sat for the examination this year, one got a merit, another a first class pass and the rest second class passes. Magagula observed that this was simply unbelievable while also paying tribute to her staff and the children for the hard work they put in during the year. “We have many challenges at the school when noting that we are not a mainstream institution. Our children have it so tough and when they come to the school, they normally have no language, so we have to start from developing one for them with which we can communicate. “That is also a process on its own and we generally spend up to three years before we can start the school curriculum. Ideally, we would like to have children with such needs brought to the school at three years old, but that is not the case,” she said. Training She added that the school gave pre-school and sign language training to the children, which was used as the mode of instruction. She said there were two bridging classes, each of them taking a year before they could begin Grade One. “This is why we normally have over-aged children. This year, the oldest was 19 while the youngest was 16. But they have a great zeal to learn and are a very hardworking lot. I am greatly humbled by the results and they show that hard work is always richly rewarded,” she said. She said the main challenge was that the pupils - however - have no access to tertiary education, but expressed her hope that with the opening of a high school for the deaf at Matsetsa, such opportunities may become available. “Right now after completing Grade Seven, they do not continue with school and simply transfer to the vocational school in Mbabane where they learn trades, even when they had a wish to continue with their education,” she said. Magagula then expressed her gratitude to UNICEF which had availed a number of special support teachers who also have a hearing impairment. “They have made the bridging easier as they teach the children sign language just when they start school. This has made our lot much easier and we are looking forward to better results even next year,” she said.
http://www.observer.org.sz/index.php?news=19281[/URL “I am humbled.” This was the brief response Siteki School for the Deaf Principal S’mangele Magagula could utter when she learnt that her charges had done her proud by achieving a 100% pass rate in the Standard Five examinations. This was mores because it was her first year in charge of this school which caters for children with special needs, in this case, hearing impairment. In a class of six pupils who sat for the examination this year, one got a merit, another a first class pass and the rest second class passes. Magagula observed that this was simply unbelievable while also paying tribute to her staff and the children for the hard work they put in during the year. “We have many challenges at the school when noting that we are not a mainstream institution. Our children have it so tough and when they come to the school, they normally have no language, so we have to start from developing one for them with which we can communicate. “That is also a process on its own and we generally spend up to three years before we can start the school curriculum. Ideally, we would like to have children with such needs brought to the school at three years old, but that is not the case,” she said. Training She added that the school gave pre-school and sign language training to the children, which was used as the mode of instruction. She said there were two bridging classes, each of them taking a year before they could begin Grade One. “This is why we normally have over-aged children. This year, the oldest was 19 while the youngest was 16. But they have a great zeal to learn and are a very hardworking lot. I am greatly humbled by the results and they show that hard work is always richly rewarded,” she said. She said the main challenge was that the pupils - however - have no access to tertiary education, but expressed her hope that with the opening of a high school for the deaf at Matsetsa, such opportunities may become available. “Right now after completing Grade Seven, they do not continue with school and simply transfer to the vocational school in Mbabane where they learn trades, even when they had a wish to continue with their education,” she said. Magagula then expressed her gratitude to UNICEF which had availed a number of special support teachers who also have a hearing impairment. “They have made the bridging easier as they teach the children sign language just when they start school. This has made our lot much easier and we are looking forward to better results even next year,” she said.
