Helping children overcome barriers to education<\/p>\n
Jock Paul, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As soon as some children learn to overcome serious challenges in
\ntheir young lives, other barriers -- these ones out of their
\ncontrol -- are erected in front of them.<\/p>\n
With the right opportunity and training, students with
\nlearning disabilities are proving that they can succeed alongside
\nother students. Unfortunately, many students are still not
\ngetting the opportunity because of the lack of education about
\nlearning disabilities and discrimination.<\/p>\n
If they are not identified, learning disabilities usually have
\na severe effect on a child's education and confidence, and adding
\nto the problem a lack of diagnosis continues to be the biggest
\nbarrier to these children's education.<\/p>\n
But when properly treated and then given the opportunity,
\nstudents with learning disabilities can lead a productive life
\nand succeed academically alongside other students as the students
\nat Yayasan Pantara elementary school in Jakarta have proven.<\/p>\n
A learning disability is defined as a neurological disorder in
\nwhich a person's brain works or is structured differently.
\nLearning disabilities can affect a person's ability to speak
\nlisten read, write, spell, reason, recall, organize information
\nand do mathematics.<\/p>\n
Because learning disabilities cannot be seen, and because the
\ncharacteristics of learning disabilities vary, they often go
\nundetected.<\/p>\n
When students are diagnosed at a younger age there is a
\ngreater possibility of them developing and improving. Their
\nconfidence is still in good shape and their social skills and bad
\nhabits are not as entrenched, said Dr. Vitriani Sumarlis, the
\nresident psychologist with SD Khusus Pantara elementary school.<\/p>\n
The school teaches only students with learning disabilities
\nand is part of a Yayasan Pantara elementary school working to
\nimprove the lives of children with learning disabilities.<\/p>\n
The foundation was established in 1994, shortly after a report
\nby the Ministry of National Education found that half of the
\nstudents that flunked out of school were of normal intelligence.
\nOf the 50 percent who were of normal intelligence, about half
\nwere diagnosed with learning disabilities, said Vitriani.<\/p>\n
Yayasan Pantara began its activities by working with the
\neducation ministry to train two teachers from each province to
\nrecognize children with learning disabilities, and how to teach
\nand work with these children.<\/p>\n
The program ended in 2000, but for the past two years 50
\nteachers from South Jakarta have undergone training and the
\nprogram for teachers from other places in the country will be
\nrestarting again in a few months, said Vitriani.<\/p>\n
The feedback from the teachers has been very positive, many of
\nthem said that they do not know how to handle these children, or
\nabout the resources available to them, she added.<\/p>\n
Since 1997 the foundation has been able to demonstrate to
\nteachers how children with learning disabilities are succeeding,
\nand how they are taught at its elementary school. The school
\nfollows the national curriculum but modifies teaching strategies
\nand has two teachers for each class of about ten students.<\/p>\n
Only students with diagnosed learning disabilities are
\nadmitted to the school, and the purpose of the school is to teach
\nand treat students with learning disabilities and prepare them to
\nbe reintegrated into the public school system.<\/p>\n
The most important thing that these children need is
\nconfidence, Vitriani said. Children will usually try to hide
\ntheir deficiencies, or make excuses. A kid who is having trouble
\nreading might act out or complain when he or she is called on to
\nread.<\/p>\n
Dian, a first grade teacher at the school, said there are two
\nkeys to helping students with learning disabilities;
\ncommunicating with their parents, and helping the students
\nunderstand their own challenges in learning.<\/p>\n
Beginning as early as the first grade, teachers teach the
\nstudents to understand their strengths, weaknesses and ability to
\nlearn and help them to develop their own strategy of learning,
\nDian said.<\/p>\n
\"The basic problem is a perceptual disability, the children do
\nnot understand that they are distracted,\" said Untung S. Drazat a
\ngrade five teacher. He said that the teachers gave the students
\nexercises to improve their perception.<\/p>\n
Beginning in grade four the school has an integration program
\nto help the students adjust to the public school when they
\ngraduate from SD Khusus Pantara in grade six, or sooner if they
\nwish and are ready, Untung said.<\/p>\n
The students practice socializing and role play to get used to
\nthe increase in the number of students at public school, and the
\nteachers prepare them to receive less individual attention,
\nUntung said.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately all the hard work that the students and teachers
\nat SD Khusus Pantara put in is often fruitless because of the
\ndiscriminatory admission policies of some junior high schools.<\/p>\n
Many parents of graduates of special elementary schools have
\nfound that middle schools are unwilling to accept their children
\nwhen they find out where their child went to elementary school.<\/p>\n
Even after he passed the academic admittance test at his
\ndesired middle school, Rinati Adrin's son was not accepted
\nbecause he failed a psychological test.<\/p>\n
Junior high schools are allowed to accept only who they wish
\nand there is nothing obliging them to accept all students that
\nmeet a specific criteria, so there is little incentive for them
\nto accept a student that might require a little more attention.<\/p>\n
When Rinati stopped telling the schools where her son went to
\nelementary school he was accepted at the next school he applied.<\/p>\n
\"If he was not accepted here, where can he go to school?\"
\nRinati said in frustration, adding that the government must take
\nthis problem seriously.<\/p>\n
The barriers exist for students despite the fact that,
\naccording to Vitriani, when the students enter public school
\nagain they usually do not have too many problems with adjustment,
\nas long as they are well supported by their parents, and teachers
\nare aware of the students' situation.<\/p>\n
Vitriani said it would be advisable to have a high school
\nsimilar to SD Khusus Pantara to help students that are diagnosed
\nlater, but that the most important thing is to educate people
\nabout learning disabilities.<\/p>\n
Considering the lack of priority that the government is giving
\neducation, her modest expectations are realistic. Indonesia spent
\njust 1 percent of Gross Domestic Product on education in 2002,
\ncompared to between 4.5 percent to 7 percent in developing
\ncountries, and 2.5 percent to 7.5 percent in many other
\ndeveloping countries.<\/p>\n
Despite the challenges children face, Vitriani remains
\noptimistic about the impact of Yayasan Pantara's work.<\/p>\n
The simplest and most important part of treating and helping
\nchildren, she said, remains simply identifying problems and
\nadjusting parents' expectations -- and helping children
\nunderstand their own challenges.<\/p>",
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