ICEVI Regional News
Report on Refresher Course for Specialist Teachers in Malawi
Brief Report of
ICEVI Asia Region Activities
Report on Refresher Course for Specialist Teachers in Malawi
Malawi is usually referred to as “The Warm Heart of Africa”. It is a small country bordering Tanzania, Zambia, and Mozambique. The country has adopted Itinerant Education (IE) and Resource Centre Models for educating visually impaired children in Malawi. IE programmes are funded by Sight Savers in collaboration with Ministry of Education while Resource Centres receive support from Christoffel Blindenmission (CBM).
ICEVI identified Dark & Light Foundation to fund a 5-days refresher course in April 2001 for 20 specialist teachers representing 13 resource centres in Malawi. The centres are currently serving 289 visually impaired children but there is room for more if funding was available.
The facilitators were drawn from Monfort College, Ministry of Education, and assisted by Mrs Gladys Nyaga Sight Savers Education Adviser. The following topics were covered: Braille, Daily Living Skills, Orientation and Mobility, Art Techniques, Guidance and Counselling, Eyes and Vision, Vision Screening, Use of Abacus, Cubarithm, Learning Difficulties, Rehabilitation, Record Keeping and Management of programmes as well as policy issues.
The course was a dream come true because some of the specialist teachers were trained in late 70’s or 80’s. These teachers had no opportunity of attending any workshop since they were trained. The course gave them a chance to update skills, learn new skills, and share experiences with other colleagues. The knowledge will make them better teachers and benefit visually impaired children. I look forward to more assistance through ICEVI and traditional donors as well as new donors in future.
Gladys Nyaga
Deputy Regional Chairperson ICEVI Africa, Sight Savers
International Education Programme Adviser
gnyaga@sightsavers.or.ke
Brief Report of ICEVI Asia Region Activities
May to August 2001 and activities finalised for the period September to December
May 2001 to August 2001
· Soon after the meeting of the Officers of ICEVI held in Mexico from 4 to 7, May 2001, proposals for funding were sent to ICEVI. These proposals include advocacy programmes and subject related workshops in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India. Other salient activities are as follows:
· The Regional Chairman represented ICEVI – Asia Region at the Sub-Committee meeting of the Rehabilitation Council of India – Professionals dealing with Visual Disability on May 14, 2001. ICEVI – Asia Region continues to enjoy membership in this highest policy making body of India.
· Regional Chairman served as a Resource Person at the Refresher Training course for teachers of the blind in Asia and conducted workshop sessions on Teaching Mathematics to visually impaired children. The programme was organised by the Asian Blind Union from 2 to 7 July 2001 in collaboration with the NABP, Norway.
· Regional Chairman held discussions with various organisations in Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad regarding the possibilities of holding various workshops in the region.
· Conducted a workshop on Teaching Mathematics and Mathematical braille codes in Hyderabad on August 4, 2001. 35 teachers working in integrated and special schools attended the programme. Various organisations from the State of Andhra Pradesh have requested ICEVI – Asia Region to help their teachers to equip professionally through conduct of similar academic oriented workshops and seminars.
· Conducted a workshop on “Assessing the Reading Preference of Low Vision Children” on 13th and 14th August 2001 in collaboration with the International Human Resource Development Centre for the Disabled, Coimbatore. 18 teachers attended the workshop.
· In a southern regional conference organised by the National Council for Teacher Education in Mysore, India on August 21, 2001, the Regional Chairman spoke about trends in special education teacher preparation and pleaded for inclusion of education of children with visual impairment in the general education curriculum. He also spoke about the role of ICEVI in developing professionalism in the region.
Activities to be conducted in October to December 2001
· A regional workshop on Low Vision will be organised from 5 to 12 October 2002 at Ludhiana in collaboration with the Vocational Training Centre for the Blind. About 30 participants from the northern region will be attending this programme and Dr. E.M. Johnson will be the local organiser. ICEVI will be sponsoring this event.
· A regional workshop on “Education of visually impaired children with multiple disabilities” will be organised from 18 to 22 November 2001 at the Divine Light School Trust for the Blind, Bangalore. 30 teachers working in special and integrated schools will be benefitted by this programme. Sri S. Ravindra, Secretary of the DLSBT will be the local organiser.
· In collaboration with the Society for the Visually Handicapped (SVH), Kolkatta, India, ICEVI will be organising a workshop on “Child-centred education for Visually Impaired Children” from 26 to 28 November 2001 for professionals working in the area of visual impairment. More than 40 persons will be attending this programme. Mrs. Hena Basu, Secretary of the Society is making arrangements for this programme.
· In continuation of the workshops for teachers who are visually impaired, an inservice course on effective teaching will be organised for 30 teachers by the Nepal Chapter of the ICEVI in collaboration with the National Association for the Blind, Nepal. The workshop will be organised in the month of December 2002 and the dates are yet to be finalised.
· A workshop on Abacus will be organised in Dhaka, Bangladesh in December 2001. This is the second workshop initiated by ICEVI – Asia Region. Dr. S.R. Mittal from India will serve as the Resource Person for this workshop and Mrs. Manju Samaddar, Principal, Baptist Sangha School for Blind Girls will be the local contact person.
· At the initiative of ICEVI, Sri S. Satishkumar, a blind adult person from Sri Lanka will be attending a short-term course on Computer Training for Blind Persons at the International Human Resource Development Centre, Coimbatore from October 2001 to May 2002. Though ICEVI has no financial commitment for this programme, the initiative taken by ICEVI in 1998 (during the visit of the Regional Chairman to Sri Lanka) has resulted in the training for this client.
· The workshop on “Information Technology” conducted by ICEVI in collaboration with the National Association for the Blind, Delhi on 22nd and 23rd December 2000 received overwhelming responses from all professionals and as a result, ICEVI was requested to organise one more workshop in 2001. The second workshop on this subject will be organised by the National Association for the Blind, Delhi on 23rd and 24th December 2001 and 20 participants from India and the neighbouring countries will be attending this workshop.
M.N.G.
Mani
Chairperson
ICEVI Asia
srkvcoe@md3.vsnl.net.in