The Durban School for the Hearing Impaired was bouyed by the donation of four new classrooms from the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT). The prefab classrooms, valued at R840 000, were handed over on Monday, 10 June.
The special school, which caters to hard of hearing, intellectually disabled and autistic learners in the Durban South region, had been in dire straits trying to create floor space for its 150 learners. “Through a long-time sponsor of the school, Dr Adam Mohammed, SAMCT was approached and the sizable sponsorship was secured,” said acting principal, Kapil Maharaj.
“The additional classrooms mean smaller numbers in each class and effective teaching and learning can take place. This was a constant challenge to the school and SAMCT has made every effort to get new classrooms built. The cost factor made it nearly impossible for us to achieve.”
Gaff Osman of SAMCT visited the school last year and recognised the need for additional classrooms. “Access to a sound education is the right of every child in South Africa. However, the delivery of a sound education is dependent, to a very large extent, on teachers being able to interact easily with those in their charge. The level of such personal interaction is determined by the size of the classes teachers are to teach,” said Osman.
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“Many special needs schools battle against the same sort of challenges, a fact which is particularly concerning, given that special needs learners require – and deserve – greater levels of attention from their teachers than might be the case with their mainstream counterparts.”
The Durban School for the Hearing Impaired is a non-profit organisation. Established in 1969 in central Durban, it moved to Isipingo as it grew and was able to open its doors to all races. Adding vocational classes, it became one of the first schools of its type to offer matric to hearing impaired learners, and expanding its special needs offering led to another move to its current location in Amanzimtoti. However, this came at a cost, with the school being split into two campuses and again running short of floor space.
Aware that the special educational needs of learners at the school could not be met in over-crowded classes and their education was suffering as a result, the SAMCT was quick to respond to the school’s plea for assistance, donating R841 524 for the purchase and delivery of four mobile classrooms, measuring seven metres by seven metres each, together with two new ablution units.
Construction began in March to be completed in record time. At the hand-over ceremony, the principal expressed his gratitude to SAMCT. “This means more than just new classrooms for our special learners. This is a new lease on life for them and such generosity and humanitarianism must be recognised and applauded.”
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