Chairperson of Guyana Council of Organizations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD),Discount NFL Jerseys, Leon Walcott, feels that Government should place stronger emphasis on Special Needs Education to foster the development of children with disabilities.Leon WalcottThe GCOPD executive made the remarks during an interview with this publication last Tuesday. He said that Guyana is making strides to ensure mainstream schools are being oriented towards accommodating children with disabilities but admitted that much work is still needed within the education system if the goal is to be accomplished. He also cited the enhancement of training in the teaching sector and the establishment of proper infrastructure to augment the process.Walcott drew attention to the appointment of Ministry of Education Special Needs Curriculum Specialist,Cheap China Jerseys, Karen Hall who has been tasked with the responsibility of training teachers in imparting the requisite skills in this department. However, preparing mainstream schools to accept special needs children calls for investments of tremendous proportions.He stated that the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) is still in the process of training teachers to work at Special Needs Schools. The college’s curriculum is incomplete and skill is required from overseas since it is locally unavailable.He asserted that the average teacher who graduates from CPCE who would have participated in Special Education courses may have only done the theory, while the practical knowledge is lacking. Teacher training cannot be limited since there are numerous types of disabilities such as dyslexia and autism.“For instance,Jerseys From China, there aren’t many persons in Guyana who can recognize dyslexia, so they would confuse dyslexia with a learning disability regarding the student as a slow learner. There are simple tests that could be done to identify whether or not a child is a slow learner,” Walcott emphasised.A former teacher himself,Cheap Jerseys Authentic, Mr. Walcott stressed that Special Needs Schools’ infrastructure need upgrading. Many of them are too small and should be expanded to better accommodate students. Even though the schools are built according to the building code about four-feet to five-feet above the ground,China NFL Jerseys, many buildings do not have ramps.He stated, “Socialization is important for persons with disabilities. The school is an important place for socialization so once persons with disabilities move away from the home environment into the school environment socialization takes a new level and that’s very important. It builds self confidence,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys China, enhances communication skills and those things are important for further learning.”“I think these teachers are doing the best they can. Handling special needs children when you don’t have the years of training like they do in other countries it can be a difficult task. I think we are on the right track things have improved a lot. It’s as a result of awareness,” Walcott stated.(Keeran Singh)