| Achong Tanjong |
THIRTEEN special needs students from the Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Masna Secondary School in Sungai Akar yesterday received learning aids and specialised resources donated by the Junior School Council of the Jerudong International School (JIS).
Present to witness the handover was Haji Ali Yusri bin Haji Abdul Ghafoor, the Acting Head of Special Education Unit (SEU) at the Ministry of Education.
Also present were Paul Bannister, the Head of the Junior School; and Richard Hallam, the Deputy Head of the Junior School at JIS.
In his welcoming remarks, Haji Ali Yusri, who is also the chairman of the SEU’s IKHLAS initiative, thanked JIS for its contribution in support of students with special needs.
“This is not the first time that JIS has contributed learning aids and specialised resources for the benefit of our students with special needs,” he said. “Your kind generosity has indeed benefited and made a positive impact in assisting our students’ learning journey. The learning aids and specialised resources required by these students with special needs will indeed help to fulfil and maximise their learning potential.”
He then outlined the objectives of IKHLAS as a collaborative effort that sets out to meet the needs of students who require learning aids and specialised resources.
“IKHLAS comprises several committees that aim to identify the access needs of students with special needs, enlist the support from corporate bodies to sponsor learning aids and specialised resources as well as to provide training on the use of these resources,” he said.
“All of these are aimed at overcoming learning barriers; enhancing the students’ accessibility and independence in schools and at home; and also to realise the goals of Vision 2035.”
Earlier this year, the Junior School at JIS held a special fundraising week for students with special needs in Brunei.
A total of $6,000 was collected during the fundraiser, to procure numerous learning aids and specialised resources to assist students with special needs in their learning and mobility. The donated items include a rollator, a modified chair, a bar magnifier, a desktop computer, laptops and sensory resources.
Two of the donated laptops have been installed with a screen reader software program, JAWS (Job Access with Speech), which allows visually impaired users to access the computer and its screen content through a text-to-speech output.
The post Special needs students receive donated learning aids from JIS appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.