View report page

174
NOTES ON TABLE III.
(a) This Table is a return of all children in the area for whom
the Local Education Authority are responsible, and who (except in
the case of children suffering from epilepsy which is not severe)
have been ascertained to be blind, deaf, defective or epileptic
within the meaning of Part V. of the Education Act, 1921. It
is the statutory duty of every Local Education Authority formally
to ascertain all defective children in their area irrespective of the
actual provision now made for their instruction in Special Schools.
It is assumed that every Authority will have a complete list of
such children compiled from returns made continuously during
the year and kept constantly up to date. In order to secure
uniformity, Authorities are requested to make up this Table from
their list of defective children as it stands on the last day of each
calendar year.
Children who are living in residential schools in the area but
who come from other areas, should not be included in this Table;
but children should be included who are living in residential
schools outside the area and who are being maintained there by
the Authority.
For the purpose of this Table, no child should be included
whose defect has not been ascertained by the School Medical
Officer or a medical member of the Authority's staff.
The definitions of defective children as given in the Act are as
follows and must be very carefully borne in mind.
A blind child is a child who is too blind to be able to read the
ordinary school books used by children.
A deaf child is a child who is too deaf to be taught in a class
of hearing children in an elementary school.
Mentally and physically defective children are children who,
not being imbecile and not being merely dull and backward, are
defective, that is to say, children who by reason of mental or
physical defect are incapable of receiving proper benefit from the
instruction in the ordinary public elementary schools, but are not
incapable by reason of that defect of receiving benefit from instruction
in such special classes or schools as under Part V. of the
Act may be provided for defective children.
Epileptic children are children who, not being idiots or imbeciles,
are unfit by reason of severe epilepsy to attend the ordinarypublic
elementary schools.
(b) For the purpose of this return the Board require that
children who are blind within the meaning of the Act should be
divided into two categories, i.e., (1) those who are totally blind or
so blind that they can only be appropriately taught in a school or
class for totally blind children, and (2) those who though they
cannot read ordinary school books, or cannot read them without
injury to their eyesight, have such power of vision that they can
appropriately be taught in a school or class for the partially blind.