KOCHI: Depression and anxiety has gripped the students of Fr Agostino Vicini Special School at Mundamveli as pursuing higher secondary education has become a distant reality for them. The school bagged a hundred per cent success in the SSLC examinations with high distinctions for four consecutive years. However, now it is groping in the dark as the authorities are struggling to find a way to provide their students with higher secondary education.Fr Agostino Vinci Special School principal Sr Deepa Jospeh said that they need government’ s help in moving ahead with this noble venture. “This is the first of its kind in the state. Here we do not teach sign language as other schools do. Instead, using efficient speech therapy we train students right from the age of one and half years,” she said.Though they too followed the traditional deaf education at the outset, they switched on to a new method of education when they realised that these students have sharp comprehension skills. Adhering to traditional methods would only hamper their improving skills. Hence, the school authorities decided to do away with teaching sign language. “They could speak, if they could hear. So we made efforts to make them hear. Hence the training started right from the very inception of their childhood. Using speech therapy, the impaired speech is rectified to an extend. We decided to move on vigorously as we started getting positive results and they could speak and communicate. Thus, started this method of education,” she said.However, this happiness proved short lived as the students who want to continue their secondary education have to resort to regular special schools which teach sign language. “ Owing to this, the students are depressed and have lost their morale. They could speak and communicate in this school like normal children and they cannot do that in other special schools. That is why we have put forth our demands for a secondary education here,” the principal said. Adding to the woes, the organisation does not have any financial assistance from the government. “It has been years since we started this institution, but so far we have not received any help from the government. We used to get help from private parties. But lately, that too has slimmed down,” she said.There are about fifteen students in class X. Besides, this school specially focuses on extracurricular activities like painting, sports and arts. They won the recently held chess tournament and Badirolsavam of Ernakulam. When pointed out, Deputy Director of Education M D Murali said that this is an issue which has to be taken up with the state government directly. “We are helpless in this case. The decision to grant funds is to be taken up by the government,” he said.
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