Do something for hearing impaired students

GOVERNMENT is being asked to construct a facility to suit the needs of hearing impaired students in order to avoid the current problem where several such students have been forced to stay at home because of a lack of facilitators. The suggestion comes from Cherry-Ann Yee-Chan, mother of Joseph Yee-Chan. Joseph and several other hearing impaired students, including Michael Auguste and Anya Adams, have been forced to stay at home because the ministry placed them at schools where there are no facilitators for their special needs. Prior to writing the SEA exams, the children filled out forms detailing their special needs for the ministry.

However, they were placed at the Five Rivers Junior Secondary School and the Carenage Life Centre respectively, where there are no hearing impaired facilitators. The only schools with facilitators for hearing impaired students are South East Port-of-Spain Secondary and El Dorado Secondary Comprehensive. Although Auguste and Yee-Chan were transferred to the El Dorado Secondary Comprehensive School, they were still forced to stay at home because there were no available spaces at the school to accommodate them. Adams was denied a transfer to South East Port-of-Spain. Yesterday, Cherry-Ann told Newsday she has been in constant contact with the ministry’s St George East education office. She said they have promised to place Joseph at a school, once facilitators are found. That same promise was made to the other parents.

However, Yee-Chan pointed out that the problem will continue to exist. She said there are several other hearing impaired students at different levels, at the hearing impaired unit at the Tunapuna Anglican Primary School. She suggested that Government construct a separate facility for the children, because she believes the other children will have to endure the same problem her son is now facing. At last week’s post-Cabinet news conference, Minister of Education Hazel Manning said the ministry was putting things in place for special children, but she said it was up to principals and other school staff to accommodate the students.