Schools refuse to admit kids with special needs

Manama : Several differently-abled children in the Kingdom are suffering because of the lack of schools that admit them, a prominent special needs activist claimed. 

Fadia Haroon, who is the founder of Special Family Support Bahrain (SFS), noted that many of its members are struggling to find schools. SFS has more than 1000 members from more than 400 families.

Speaking to DT News, she said, “Majority of the mainstream schools do not take special needs students at all, so these children are unable to receive education.” 

Haroon added that most of the special needs schools here are very expensive and most parents cannot afford it. 

“There are a few special needs schools that charge reasonable fees, but it is very difficult to get admission there because they have a huge waiting list,” she said.

“The children with learning difficulties are suffering the most. My son who is a special needs child got admitted to a mainstream school because his disability is not related to learning, but others with learning difficulties face countless rejections. The special needs community is getting larger, so more steps need to be taken to solve the issues in our community. Every child deserves an education whether they are a special needs child or not,” she said.

“Integrating children from our community to mainstream schools is not only good for our children, but also for the society. There is a perception that it is to difficult to teach special needs children, this is a misconception,” she said.