Giving life to 'small wonders'

Ruwini Jayawardana

DEVOTED GUIDENCE: Students being taught to read at the institute

ANNIVERSARY TREAT: Sister Nalawatta cutting the 25th anniversary cake

CELEBRATIONS: An event held during Holy Mass at St. Francis De Sales church, Dalugama

EDUCATION: Gone are the days when the deaf, blind and disabled were oppressed. With the development of technology, knowledge and new discoveries more and more handicapped people are able to stand on their own feet. New methods of teaching and new equipment had become a necessity and with the aid of these they are able to step into the society as independent individuals, possessing the self confidence they once lacked years ago.

The 'Centre for Education of Hearing Impaired Children' (CEHIC) celebrated its 25th anniversary recently with a Holy Mass at St. Francis De Sales church, Dalugama. Since its inception in 1982, many children had been shown the path to a better future.

Through new methods of teaching, pioneered by Rev. Sister Gerta Nalawatta, the foundress and directress of the CEHIC, the school was able to perform the miracle of teaching profoundly deaf children to read, write and talk. Sister Nalawatta does not engage in this worthy cause alone. She is under the guidance of the scholarly Jesuit priest father Aloysius and the Ven. Vallavitiyawae Kusaladamma thera.

Trained in Japan and having completed her postgraduate degree in Manchester University, England, Rev. Sr. Nalawatta can be considered an expert on the subject. She had devoted many years of her life gaining first hand experience and developing her own methods of teaching deaf children. Young children who are profoundly deaf were able to surprise onlookers by singing, dancing according to the rhythm and even making speeches with accurate pronunciations.

"What is special about CEHIC is that neither the Sister nor I own the property of this school. It is not a church school, private school or a state school. We call it a 'community school' because it is the public who own the school.

The Sister and I have to get permission from the parents of the students and other experts to make decisions on behalf of CEHIC. We have three boards made up of parents who discuss issues related to the school and make decisions," explained Rev. Father Aloysius.

"During the past quarter of a century we have integrated about 450 children and one of them passed out of University as a graduate recently. Most of our past students are leading successful lives, employed and independent. They have not become a burden to others. This is probably the first school of its kind in Sri Lankan history to achieve such heights. We encourage the students to be independent."

The CEHIC offers its students an all round education. Studies, knowledge on information technology and aesthetic activities such as ballet, music, gymnastics, woodwork and handicrafts are taught to the children, encouraging them to display their hidden talents. Another striking feature related to the education methods of CEHIC is that the mothers of the children are required to undergo training.

"Home is the place where education begins. It is the real centre of education. After the few hours spent at school the mothers are required to continue the educational process at home," Rev. Father Aloysius continued adding that the school facilitates education rather than impose it.

At present the institute has around 150 students. Classes are held from preschool level up to Year 5. The students are integrated to normal schools after these training sessions and they are able to catch up because the education received at the CEHIC is parallel to the government school education.

"We have received students from all over the island. We need Rs. 35,000 monthly to pay salaries to the staff. We have no means of getting an income.

However we have managed to survive all through these years with the help of donations and the blessings of God," said Christy Silva, the administrator of the institute and former registrar of the University of Kelaniya.

"Even at present the world believes that the profoundly deaf people exchange ideas through sign language. This is not true for us as we have produced many who are able to make themselves heard through speech."