Item 6 asked the headteachers to rank, in order of priority, the relative importance of each of three relevant areas in developing a curriculum for special schools. It is interesting to note that in a study conducted by the present writer at a school for children with mild to moderate learning difficulties in Karachi, the parents of these children also stressed the need for developing social skills and vocational training programmes as part of the curriculum. = Hearing Imapairment P.D. These are, with estimated percentages: physical 40%, mental 30%, visual 20% and hearing impairment 10% (Pakistan Ministry of Health, Special Education and Social Welfare 1981). The 1988 Review of Policy also fails to specify curriculum objectives or the appropriate teaching methodology to be followed, although it does state that the aims of education for children with special needs must be seen as the same as those for mainstream children, and that the curriculum in special schools should therefore reflect the broad pattern of the curriculum in ordinary schools. The main objective was to sample headteacher opinion on the curricular content and needs of special schools in Pakistan and to determine what problems, if any, they encounter in designing and implementing an appropriate curriculum for pupils with special educational needs.
Table: 4 Headteachers' Ranking Of Curriculum Areas, By Level Of Priority. Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan, and North West Frontier Province). 10337 0 obj <>stream Accordingly, the objectives of the Questionnaire were to secure from a sample of headteachers information in the following areas: 1. In one instance it was confirmed that a school had closed for lack of finance and perceived need after a government centre for special needs had been established in the same area. How effective is the curriculum content/ skills taught with regards to student growth? However, for the purposes of the present investigation, the headteacher was the appropriate authority to supply the kind of information which we were seeking. And keeping in mind Blaug's (1973) warning that parental approval towards such an effort is essential for success, every effort should be made to promote parental involvement.
This is generally even more true of developing nations. It recommended that pupils in special centres who are able to follow the curriculum and examination system of the federal capital or the province should do so, while for some other pupils the content of such a curriculum may need to be adapted or modified to meet their special needs. Reports of life skills training for students with intellectual disabilities in and out of school. It is explicitly stated by the Declaration and the Convention that the UNICEF Programme will also promote the integration of disabled and socially disadvantaged children, thus providing them with social services and basic education. Educators can customize lesson plans to best fit their students' needs and learning styles. It further proposes that opportunities for experiencing a range of activities and for short-term job placements before making a final training choice should also be provided. The importance of the teacher's role as the active agent in handling and communicating the curriculum is generally acknowledged (for example, Barrow 1984), and is a particularly important area of investigation for future research in special education in Pakistan. The Syracuse community-referenced curriculum guide for students with moderate and severe disabilities, Life Skills Curricula for Students with Learning Disabilities, Factors Impacting the Enactment of a Functional Curriculum in Self-Contained Cross-Categorical Programs, Education for Adolescents with Disabilities, Curricular Implications of Transition Life Skills Instruction as an Integral Part of Transition Education, A Strategy for Developing Chronological-Age-Appropriate and Functional Curricular Content for Severely Handicapped Adolescents and Young Adults, Activities of Students with Significant Disabilities Receiving Services in Postsecondary Settings, Steps to Independence: Teaching Everyday Skills to Children with Special Needs, Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, View 8 excerpts, references methods and background, By clicking accept or continuing to use the site, you agree to the terms outlined in our. However, no follow-up study has been conducted to determine if this curriculum is in fact being used by these schools.
Services for children with special needs in Pakistan are subdivided into four categories of handicap. A total of 70 questionnaires were eventually returned, which represents a response rate of 52 percent. Carter (1982), the Programme Director of the Schools Council Report on Curriculum Development in Special Education, observes how teachers in Britain have often found it helpful to know how their colleagues tackle different problems creating their own solutions and opportunities. These important financial lessons are for special needs students. The results of this item on the questionnaire were further analysed in terms of five types of schools. The Kendall Coefficient of Concordance, W, was also computed to establish whether there was general agreement among the headteachers of special schools in Pakistan in their rankings of curriculum areas, regardless of the type of disability group served by their schools (Table 7). The course content in the curriculum in special schools in Pakistan in the light of the National Policy, and concepts relating to the formal/informal curriculum in special schools. Vocational Training The National Policy stresses the need for improving post school vocational courses in special education, but maintains that one of the functions of such courses is to promote independent living, and to prepare the recipients of special education for employment. The Review of Policy also states however, that the detailed design and implementation of the curriculum, though subject to centrally issued guidelines, should be the responsibility of the heads of special schools.