When it comes to providing valuable education and training to Deaf children, Gifted Talented School for the Deaf, Badagry, Lagos holds the ace and is far miles ahead of others in terms of academic excellent and productivity.
The school is a private school with a boarding system in place, established in September 2021 to serve as a centre where Deaf Children could be trained, nurtured and educated by the best professionals.
In an interview with Inclusive News Network, the proprietor of the school, Mr Kehinde Akewusola disclosed why parents of Deaf children should make a wise choice by enrolling their children in Gifted Talented School for the Deaf (GTSD).
He noted, “as a parent, you want the best possible education for your child”
“When your child is Deaf or hard of hearing, you don’t just want an excellent academic environment, you also want a school where your child can thrive socially, gain confidence and feel a sense of belonging. You want them to enjoy a fulfilling school experiences”.
“And it’s also understandable to wonder whether a Deaf student receives sufficient support to achieve their full potential in a mainstream classroom”.
“It’s also understandable to wonder whether attending Deaf schools prepare students for life post-graduation”.
The seasoned school administrator used the opportunity INN availed him to bare his mind on the specialized packages his school is offering to new students.
His words, “GTSD offers unique educational experiences for children who are Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing”
“GTSD combines a blend of unique physical environment as well as healthy and stimulating resources relevant to educational growth of Deaf children”
He also said the GTSD prides in distinguishing itself from other similar schools “Since the owner of the school is a Deaf person himself who knows where the shoe pinches and will be able to teach Deaf students and interact with the Deaf children easily”.
He added, “at GTSD, we provide Day and Boarding facilities for Deaf children from the age of 5. Our facilities are also equipped to cater for the growing needs of Deaf young people aged 15 or above, who may want space to understand their own experiences of Deafness and learn to acquire the skills they need for the future in the world of work and gainful employment”.
“Our teaching methods focus on instilling confidence in the Deaf children, and necessary acquisition of skills in Nigerian Sign Language in which public inclusive unit schools do not have”.
Baring his mind on the problems facing the development of Deaf education in Nigeria, Mr. Akewusola noted that the genesis of the problem lies on the recent call for mainstreaming Deaf education in Nigeria.
He contended that, “the widespread call for mainstream education does not cater to students usually because schools do not have competent, specialized staff (e.g. special education teachers and sign language teachers) are unavailable, the inclusive unit schools do not have adequate support for learning for Deaf students.
“Deaf students in the inclusive unit schools may be physically included but remain academically and socially excluded” he said.
“Also, Sign Language Interpreters in the schools do not always provide opportunities for deaf students to form friendships with their peers.
“There is no single ‘recipe’ to follow in the process of making education more inclusive” the school administrator revealed.
On the question of method of communication employed by GTSD that makes the school different, Mr. Akewusola said “our method of communication approach for Deaf students are Nigerian Sign language and English as well as visible communication that will help them to understand easily what we teach”.
According to the proprietor, the core values that make GTSD stand out ahead of others lies in the ability of the school to “stimulate better awareness and public understanding of Deaf life, sign language, Deaf culture and rights as well as reduce public discrimination and injustice against Deaf people, as well as train tomorrow’s leaders to make a significant contribution to their nation and possibly the world”.
Others include, to offer educational opportunities to Deaf orphans and neglected Deaf children, to encourage qualified Deaf academics to be instrumental in substantially improving the educational needs for all Deaf people, among others.
The proprietor called for financial assistance from organisations to support deaf students who are neglected by society.
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You leave out location of the School and contact line or e-mail?