Celebrations at special needs unit

VISITORS from around the world, including Western Cape Education MEC Debra Schafer, made their way to Plettenberg Bay yesterday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of one of the country's first Education for Learners with Special Educational Needs (Elsen) units.

The Elsen unit and resource centre at the Formosa Primary School in New Horizons was established by 2012 The Herald Citizen of the Year finalist Leigh Dunn and his team to serve not only as a safe haven for children with learning difficulties, but also as a resource centre for other Garden Route teachers and schools.

During the past five years, the unit has become a forerunner for inclusive education and attempts to include the pupils in as many activities with the rest of the school as possible.

Because of this, the unit received the South African National Teaching Award for special needs and inclusive education two years ago.

Schafer, on her first visit to the Southern Cape, stopped at the school for the special birthday celebrations.

She congratulated Dunn and his team on their achievements and for making inroads into inclusive education.

The 15 pupils in the Formosa Elsen are exposed to several outdoor, after-hour, inter-class and interschool activities and take part in projects with mainstream classes.

"We allow these activities to include our pupils on all levels of society and education, as prescribed by Education White Paper 6 of 2001 on Special Needs and Inclusive Education," Dunn said.

Their in-class activities include music therapy, art classes, baking and decorating, specialised mathematics programmes and language-building board games, basic computer skills building and occupational therapy programmes.

Yesterday's celebrations were attended by visitors from across the globe who have played a part in the school's growth, as well as municipal officials including Bitou mayor Memory Booysen. The celebrations also coincided with the school's open day.

"I learn so much more from these children than they learn from me," Dunn said.

It was rewarding to see the fruits of their labour.

"A good example of this is the progress one of our pupils, Claud Moses, has made. [He] is autistic and after spending time in our class, he has grown so much. He didn't say a word when he started.

"Today he can communicate – his ability to speak has improved tremendously." - Yolande Stander