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Fakkel School
Fakkel is a school in Sasolburg for learners with moderate intellectual disabilities. Together with the limited intellectual ability of the learners, many also have multiple special needs. Ninety percent (90%) of the learners do not have medical aid and approximately thirty-two percent (32%) do not pay school fees. Sixty percent (60%) of the learners in Fakkel School are black and forty percent (40%) are Caucasian. Thirty percent (30%) of learners (110 children) in Fakkel School receive food at school on a daily basis during breaks and often that is the learner's only food for the day. Sometimes, on weekends and holidays, they send food parcels home. They also have a clothing bank at the school and try, where possible, to help the learners with the most needs in school with clothing and something warm like a sweater or pair of shoes, luxuries which most of them can’t afford.
VISION:
It has come to the school’s attention that some learners struggle with their eyesight and they can barely see writing on the blackboard. The Department of Education does not grant more aid to schools with eye examinations and hearing tests as in the old days, so a simple screening test was done on all the learners. 109 of the learners in the school need a more complete and in-depth eye examination.
HEARING TESTS:
There are currently only two learners in the school who are supposed to use hearing aids. The devices are not used daily, as the learners say that they are mocked and teased. The apparatus are not the newest on the market and technology changes so quickly. Without the hearing aids in a class with lots of background noises, the learners miss out on very valuable information.
Because hearing problems are not as clearly visible as visual problems, they want all learners in the school exposed to a hearing screening test. The school does not have trained people to do these tests and the nearest assistance from the Department of Education is in Kroonstad (and she has to serve the whole region).
SPEECH/COMMUNICATION
Two of the learners have severe speech and communication problems. One learner with cerebral palsy has very indistinct speech. The other learner had meningitis in 2009 when he was in grade 10 in a mainstream school. Currently he can understand, but has severe aphasia. He cannot write or express himself or his needs. He aspires to finish his schooling and therefor joined Fakkel School for help. He can only recall certain words to write. They try to accommodate him by adapting his exam papers and schoolwork.
PSYCHIATRIC NEEDS:
In Fakkel School they accommodate learners with the following disabilities:
• Autistic spectrum
• Cerebral palsy
• Physically Disabled
• Epilepsy
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Learners with behavioural Disorders
We as LCA, with the help of Life Christian Foundation, donated R10 000 to the school to assist with medical costs.