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27
BLIND, DEAF CHILDREN, ETC.
This matter was discussed in the report for 1932, the same arrangements
still being in force.
There is still a fair number of mentally-deficient children attending private
schools in the district, but there is no supervision over them.
Periodical visits to the elementary schools are made by the School Medical
Officer to see that the feeble-minded children still attending these schools are
progressing favourably.
It was hoped that the reorganisation of schools into senior and junior
would benefit the very backward children and those bordering on feeble-mindedness,
but it has had the reverse effect for this reason.
It is the wish of the Authorities that the children in the junior school
who are likely to obtain scholarships at the secondary schools should remain
at that school rather than be sent up into the senior department, and that if
there be pressure on the accommodation of the former school, then the children
to go up to the senior school must be those who are most unlikely to be capable
of winning scholarships.
The result is that those children who are several years backward educationally
may be promptly sent up into the so-called senior department!
There is no After-care Committee for the feeble-minded, that is, those
children who have attended Nassau House School, so that a recent summary
of the records of the after-careers of these children cannot be given.
An investigation on these lines was made a few years ago, and it was
found that a fair number of such children were employed—the results being
better than one had anticipated.
A large percentage of the children attending the Special Day School for
the Blind have been sent to a residential school on account of the seriousness
of their defect there are now seven in residence. There is no After-care
Committee for these children.
The same remark applies to the deaf, but the Head Mistress of the Speical
School has always been able to secure employment for the scholars on reaching
the age of 16.