CIE for special children to be extended to 11 districts by June next

MULTAN, Oct 30 (APP): Circle of Inclusive Education (CIE) designed
for children with disabilities will be extended to eleven districts of
province by June next year under Punjab Inclusive Education Programme (PIEP).
In first phase, the pilot project has been initiated in Bahawlapur
and Muzaffargarh districts in June this year, said Director Delivery
PIEP, Dr Latif Ahmad while talking to APP by telephone from Lahore
on Friday.
He added that they had trained 1500 teachers in regular public
schools of the two districts as how to teach special children.
He informed that they had set a target of training around 8000
teachers by June next year under the project.
To a question about objectives of the projects, Dr Latif stated
that identification of special children, provision of assistive
devices like hearing ads, admission of these children to nearest
regular public schools of their areas, teachers training, spotting
and admission of slow learners, slight change in structure of schools
for special children requirements, public awareness and retention
of admitted children were the main goals of project.
To another question, Director Delivery said that after June 2016,
they would extend Punjab Inclusive Education programmes to 9 other
districts of Punjab taking the number to 11.
Dr Latif informed that there were four categories of disabilities
including mild, modearte, severs and profound disabilities adding
that they would address all these under the project.
Replying a question, he said that 3 teams were working each
in two districts under the project adding that these included:
district field, screening and monitoring teams.
He said that there was likelihood of starting the projects
another 7 districts of Punjab in collaboration with PEF in January
next year.