Int'l school for the blind

Int'l school for the blind

JAKARTA (JP): The Merpati Putih pencak silat school will open
an international school for the blind in Cibubur, South Jakarta,
in September.

The international school will offer an 18-month course. In the
first six months students will learn how to walk as normal people
do. In the next six months, they will learn how to identify
common objects. Finally they will learn how to identify colors,
shapes and characters.

The students will be taught all these skills using pencak
silat breathing exercises. "The final objective is to enable them
to read a computer monitor," teacher Budi Santoso said during the
school's 32nd anniversary celebration yesterday.

In setting up the school, Merpati Putih will cooperate with
the LIA Foundation, which will provide the school's premises and
facilities. (arf)