Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 26
There are a variety of schools in Nagaland and all of them attend to different groups of children based on educational needs. Unlike mainstream schools, Silver Lines Academy (SLA) hosts a special place for children with special educational needs; a place where all physically and mentally challenged children are acknowledged as individuals.
Located in City Tower area, Dimapur, SLA is a non-profit school established in 2013. The main purpose of the school, according to Narola Allong, Principal, is to bring the children out of their homes and into a learning environment where they can be trained to overcome the obstacles in their everyday lives.
SLA was founded during a partnership involving Awa Aier Kolen, director and proprietor, after being approached by concerned teachers about the negligence of children with special educational needs. The school’s infrastructure is being facilitated by Awa, who is also the backbone of SLA as a major contributor in terms of financial and moral support.
“People only choose to see the disabilities of these children but fail to see their capabilities,” said Narola, who is specialized in the field of Special Education. She emphasised that the children of SLA definitely have the potential to learn in spite of their challenged cognitive and physical state.
“There are three categories of cognitive disorders; mild, moderate and severe. Here, we cater to moderate and severe cases. As for children with mild cases, they eventually become mainstreamed and are able to attend mainstream schools in the state,” Narola said. According to her estimate, there are currently 6 severe cases apart from the majority of moderate cases.
Back in the classrooms, the children interacted, played and even helped each other during lunch hours. Although they are unable to tell the time, they can follow a routine. The school has also received positive feedbacks from parents. Children who had to be fed or required diapers were now able to help themselves, they said. Awa credited these improvements to the teachers’ dedication towards moulding the children based on their condition.
However, the journey to achieve these improvements was not without challenges. “We faced a lot of obstacles during the beginning. Although Awa and other individuals made contributions we still had some problems with the school’s funds,” Narola said. “Since we focus on all disabilities, we also receive different children who need to be taught by techniques specific to their needs. So a lot of time also had to be invested into the children.”
Meanwhile, the school is experiencing a steady increase in the number of students, and children from neighbouring states also find their way to the school. However, due to a lack of space, any further applications have been moved to waiting list. The school currently has 29 students, who are trained and assisted by six people – Principal Narola, 2 hearing impaired teachers, 1 Montessori trained teacher, and 2 helpers.
“We hope and pray that in time we will be able to build a bigger, dedicated school that gives a chance for all these children with special needs, in Nagaland and surrounding states, to get the education they deserve,” Awa expressed.
The writer is currently an intern at The Morung Express
