VietNamNet Bridge – No sound was heard in the classroom. This is a special class, and the teachers only hope their students will be able to send text messages.

Teacher Minh and her special class

The students here never make a fuss like students in other classes, because this is a special class, where students communicate with body language and gestures.

Kieu Minh, a teacher of KTA class, related that the four male and five female students in the class each have their own unique situation. The oldest student here, Bui Thi Thuy, is 23 years old, while Nguyen Thi Hanh is the youngest at 9.

Nguyen Thi Thuy and Dang Hong Hieu are following the curriculum designed for 4^th class students, while the other seven are following the curriculum for 2^nd class students. Therefore, the class is called the ‘2 in 1 class’.

The ‘2 in 1 class’

For every lesson, teacher Minh splits the blackboard into two parts. When she teaches the lessons for 2^nd class students, all nine students participate, but when she gives lessons for the 4^th class students, the seven just sit and smile.

There are 672 students in the school, including 40 handicapped ones who are deaf and dumb or have mental disorders.

“Normal students learn so as they can pass to higher class levels, while handicapped students learn just to integrate into the community and learn how to send mobile phone messages,” said Tran Thi Thuy, Headmaster of the school.

Teacher Minh has 15 years of teaching special students. Minh related that she only took a 12-day training course 10 years ago; therefore, she has had to teach and learn at the same time. Especially, she has had to learn to use body language.

Binh Thuan Primary School still does not have teachers trained to teach handicapped children.

Thuy said that the province still has no centre to take care of special students. Meanwhile, what the school can do is to provide them with primary education. No student has reportedly continued a higher education programme.

Thuy said that she hopes there will be a secondary school for handicapped students. If so, they would have a chance to study further.

On average, students with mental and certain physical disabilities require around 10 years to complete the curriculum for primary education, as they have to spend two years for every class level. Many of these special students don’t begin going to school until they are 20 years old already.

Duc Chinh – Anh Ngoc