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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1979
TWO BLIND GIRLS AMONG TOP 10 IN THEIR CLASS IN
ORDINARY SCHOOL
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IN A KENNEDY ROAD SECONDARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM THE STUDENTS ARE BUSY READING TEXTBOOKS, BUT TWO OF THE GIRLS, INSTEAD OF READING, ARE SLIDING THEIR HANDS ALONG PATTERNS OF DOTS JUTTING OUT OF THE PAGES FROM A RELATIVELY LARGE BOOK.
THESE TWO GIRLS, LUIGIA LIP AND EDITH YEUNG, ARE NOT PLAYING, BUT READING BRAILLE THE METHOD USED BY THE BLIND TO READ.
ALTHOUGH VISUALLY DISABLED, BOTH LUIGIA AND EDITH ARE JUST AS COMPETENT AS THEIR FELLOW STUDENTS. IN FACT THEY ARE RATED AMONG THE TOP 10 IN THEIR CLASS,
EVER SINCE THEY ENROLLED AT ST. FRANCIS CANOSSIAN COLLEGE FROM A NEARBY SPECIAL SCHOOL, LUIGIA AND EDITH HAVE DEMONSTRATED THE IR CAPABILITY OF STUDYING IN AN ORDINARY SCHOOL.
+1 WAS EXCITED ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL AT ST. FRANCIS, LUIGIA RECALLED.
AS FOR EDITH HER COMMENT WAS: +SCHOOL LIFE IN AN ORDINARY SCHOOL IS A NEW AND ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE.+
+1 CAN NOW LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WORLD AROUND ME THROUGH MAKING MORE NEW FRIENDS,+ SHE ADDED.
LUIGIA AND EDITH ARE AMONG THE 24 BLIND STUDENTS NOW ATTENDING ORDINARY CLASSES IN SIX ORDINARY SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNDER AN INTEGRATING SCHEME LAUNCHED BY THE GOVERNMENT EARLY THIS YEAR. THEY ARE ST. PAUL'S COLLEGE, ST. STEPHEN'S GIRLS' COLLEGE, LA SALLE COLLEGE, ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S COLLEGE, ST. FRANCIS CANOSSIAN
NOSS COLLEGE AND CANOSSIAN CONVENT SCHOOL.
THE SCHEME, ADVOCATED BY SEVERAL SPECIAL INSTITUTES IN THE EARLY 60'S, AIMS AT INTEGRATING THE BLIND INTO THE COMMUNITY THROUGH EDUCATION.
MISS TERESA WONG, SENIOR INSPECTOR (SPECIAL EDUCATION) OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SAIDE IN RESPONSE TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY THE WHITE PAPER ON INTEGRATING THE DISABLED INTO THE COMMUNITY, THE GOVERNMENT HAS EXPANDED THE SCHEME FURTHER BY SUBSIDISING SPECIAL SCHOOLS IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF RESOURCE TEACHERS.+
SHE EXPLAINED THAT THE SCHEME STIPULATED THAT BLIND STUDENTS, WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE IR JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION IN A SPECIAL SCHOOL, CAN SEEK ENROLMENT IN ORDINARY SCHOOLS TO FURTHER THE IR STUDIES.
+IN SOME CASES, APPLICATIONS FOR ENROLMENT IN LOWER FORMS ARE ALSO CONSIDERED, SHE SAID.
+
+HOWEVER, EACH BLIND STUDENT SHOULD REGISTER PREFERABLY AT A SPECIAL SCHOOL BEFORE SEEKING ADMISSION IN ORDER TO OBTAIN SPECIAL SERVICE, SHE ADDED.
SHE NOTED THAT ONCE A STUDENT IS INTEGRATED, ARRANGEMENTS WILL BE MADE BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT'S SPECIAL EDUCATION SECTION AND THE SCHOOL CONCERNED FOR THE PROVISION OF TEXTBOOKS AND SPECIALLY DESIGNED STUDYING AND TEACHING AIDS.
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