Gift special education to a mentally challenged child by Ritham Special School for the Mentally Challenged Children

We started constructing our school's new building and finished the basement level with Japan's help. They have also granted assistance to other grassroots projects. We celebrated Yoga Day online, and our students sent yoga videos created at their homes. Our 26 students participated in an online dance and singing competition conducted by DRZYA, and one of our students went to the final level. In another online dance competition by Shantidam Foundation, 16 students participated, and three went to the finals. In another online dance competition conducted by Tare Zameen Par, twenty of our students participated. We celebrated 75th Independence Day in our school with our staff. We are doing online classes successfully with cooperation from the parents.

In the Covid-19 situation, we were unable to open the school and reach the staff and students. With the flow of funds, we conducted classes online. Medicines for our students were also delivered to their doorstep. We use the fund to pay our staff salaries. We plan to provide the required therapies to our students and continue the online classes when the pandemic ends.

Stories from the ground:J. Amala has a mild physical and mental disability. She is very good at academics. During this pandemic, she came on board for online classes because her sister attends them. When we began with classes, she was happy. She followed the homework and sent the videos on time. She is very interested in dancing and voluntarily participates in all dance programmes conducted at school and inter-school levels. In this pandemic, her extracurricular activities stopped. So when an online dance competition was announced, she was elated. She selected the song and costume for the dance and practised daily. Her family helped her with the practice. She improved her skills and also won the cash prize at the competition.

Our school is running for the mentally retarded children, autism children and intellectual disabled children. In our school, most of the children are poor and their parents are unaware about special education; and are daily wagers. We told them about the special education for them. Because they should have to realize that they too are one in this society and to behave like others. The importance of education for all children, especially for those with disability and limited social and economic opportunities, is indisputable. Indeed, the special education system allowed children with disability increased access to public education. Also they are often held to lower expectations, are less likely to take the full academic curriculum in higher education and have a higher tendency to drop out of school. Special education is essential to build a better tomorrow for them. The passion for learning pulls them out of the dark places in their life. So we are decided to provide the free education and to reduce their parents’ burden. But our economic situation is not sufficient to do that. At that time, your contribution is very helpful for us to provide free education to the children. They are having very interest to come to school. During the lockdown, we are conducting the online classes for them. They are very interest to do all the activities. Their parents also very happy for their children’s improvement because they are doing all the activities in their home what we are teaching in the online classes. By your contribution, they are getting special education to learn all the activities including academic side. Their parents also thank you for your contribution in providing the special education for them.

16th Anniversary celebrations!

Ritham Special School for the Mentally Challenged Children has just completed 16th years and one of the biggest news that we want to share is that for 2020 Special Olympic floorball games the state selection camp conducted at Nehru stadium in Chennai on December 27, 2019, had 5 students from our school who had participated in the event. The students got selected our state team and went to the national coaching camp on Himachalpradesh at 05.01.2020 to 10.01.2020.Nafiya Hussaina is one of the selected students who is studying in our school in 2004. She is interested in the ball throwing games, straight stitching vocational activities and helps to other small our school children.

Program Update

Won State Level Sports:

Our school District level three winners are participated in the state level sports on 01 & 02nd March at Chennai Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. In Standing Long Jump event our school student J.Amala won 3rd prize in state level for women category.

Received Guidestar India Award:
Every year Guidestar India award NGOs for their accountability and transparency. This is our third successful consecutive year for receiving award.

Students achieved in ESLC (8th) Examination:
In our school we are selected two mild mentally challenged children for 8th standard exam. Two students are passed and score the marks well.

Story from the field

A hero M. Samson is a moderate mentally challenged living with uneducated and unawareness parents. He studied in normal school. He can’t able to continues his studies in normal school because in difficult syllabus. He doesn’t go to school regularly. The teachers from that school recommended our school. When they came to our school we give counselling to their parents about his level of understanding.
After join to our school he did not enter the campus and cry throughout a day. Gradually he enters the premises. Even then he did not listening the teacher comments and classes. Gradually he also obeys the teacher comments and mingles with other students.

Now he able to say some simple words, identifies big and small things, his understanding is increases and do the all eye hand coordination activities. Now he is listening and try to sing lines in a rhymes, tells his classmates names, interest in games, easily identifying his things and helping to others in his class room. Now he can look after his needs without the assistance of teachers. After six month when their parents meet the class teacher they tell his improvement and they feel very happy.

Program Update

Below are some recent activities and updates in our school from Apr-18 to Sep -18:
1.14th ANNUAL DAY: On 18th April, we celebrated the 14th Annual Day. Our District Differently Abled Welfare Officer S. Sivasankaran, and Rajapalayam Raju's College Principal & Head Dr. V. Venkatraman, presided the function.
2. ACHIEVED SUCCESS IN SSLC STATE BOARD EXAMINATION: 5 of our student's appeared in 10th state board exam results. The results are published and our students have passed and scored well in the exam.
3. POLYTECHNIC PRINCIPAL VISITED SCHOOL: Our school was visited by Arasan Ganesan polytechnic Principal Mr. M. Nanda Kumar on 26th July. We have initiated discussions about non formal vocational training course for our students.
4. ACHIEVED IN SOUTHERN REGIONAL SPORTS EVENTS: The Special Olympics Bharat Virudhunagar and Rotary club of Sivakasi conducted southern regional sports on 24 & 25 August. We won five 1st, six 2nd & four 3rd prizes.

Story from the field

V. Pommurajan is a moderate mentally challenge child. He is far away from the school. In their city two special schools are present, but they are admitted only mild level student. So their parents kept him at home. When we went for door to door survey programme, we got to know about this student.

Our staff explain the importance of special education, occupational & speech therapy and behavior modification to a child. We briefly explained to the parents about the capacity of the child right guidelines and also spread awareness related to rehabilitation of the Mentally Challenged children.

He stays in Sankrankovil which is 30km away from school. Since his father used to find it difficult to drop him at school every day, his attendance was very irregular. Realising this, our school provided transportation facility. We arranged for a mini van for his transport.

After intensive special education, his behavior has improved. Waving hands has partially reduced, he is sitting in one place and his fear about objects has also reduced. Now their parents are happy. He also came regularly to school.

The School celebrated Children’s Day, Diwali, Krishna Jayanthi, Independence Day, Teachers Day, World disability day, Christmas and New Year, in which, students, staff and parents participated in many programmes. The State Sports Development Authority of Tamilnadu conducted district level sports on 05.01.2018 at Virudhunagar. In track events, the school students won six first prizes- six second prizes and two third prizes, after which the district winners were selected for State Sports. The Tamil Nadu state government conducted district level sports on 22.11.2017 at Sivakasi C.S.I Deaf School on the occasion of world disability day, in which 16 students from Ritham participated and won four first prizes, five second prizes and one third prize.

Senior Special Educators and Chennai Executive committee members from The Madhuram Narayanan Center for Exceptional children spent their valuable time with Ritham’s special educators and shared their knowledge with them. They conducted orientation classes for parents and staff, assessed the kids and counseled the parents. A total of sixty-eight students benefitted through this programme.