It is more than 40 years since the Mauritius Mental Health association set up its school in Stanley, Rose-Hill. Since then, the educational establishment has benefited from some aid from the government, which has the management of a section of the school. In line with international trends, this section has recently been renamed by the cabinet as “Special Education Needs School” – just like the Integrated Units at Solferino Government School and D. Hurry Government School in Goodlands. The main objectives of this school have been set clearly for the 140 children and adults registered in it: to maintain their faculties and try and develop others thanks to various activities and a dedicated staff.

All children and adults do not have the same type of mental problem at the school and that makes it even more difficult for the carers to organise special activities for all of them. This is probably why there is always more than one carer or teacher in a class. As for the children aged between 4 and 10 for instance, there is one carer for every three children. This allows them to better adapt to each child’s needs while following the timetable set up by the teacher in charge of the school, Hélène de Cazanove, and the psychologist Odile Lim Fat.

Of course, children learn through games and activities. They are stimulated physically – through gym, music, and dance – as well as mentally with songs, nursery rhymes, puzzles, and computer games among other activities. Carers also emphasise on hygiene and make sure pupils remain clean and independent.

As they become bigger, the children’s capacities continue to vary greatly. As a result, some may continue doing activities like painting or finger printing while others start doing “light” numeracy and literacy exercises, drama, religion, home economics and computer studies.

While children are doing in-door activities, adults – from 18 years upwards - are busy in the garden planting some aubergines and green beans under the eye of their teacher. The adults share their time between gardening, carpentry and basketwork and also painting, gym, music or cookery. Some of them may have the chance to get a job after some years at school. Others may remain in day care for several years to give them an activity and prevent them from remaining idle at home.

Indeed, there are 40 such schools throughout Mauritius but many children who can’t cope with the traditional form of education are left idle at home because parents simply do not know that there are places where people can cater for them. “The very fact that they get out from home and are in contact with other persons brings a lot to these children. Some have made huge progress since coming here and a few even have a job with a car today,” comments Emmanuel, now a school inspector, who worked in Stanley for 17 years. This is why he recommends regular screening by the authorities to make sure that no child is left at home while he could benefit a lot from being in a social environment.

But no progress would be possible without the support of the persons in charge as well as the teachers and carers. Since Hélène de Cazanove arrived at the school in 2001, there has been huge progress with far more structured classrooms and better training for teachers. But she insists that no improvement would have been possible without the work of the whole team: the contributions of Odile Lim Fat and social worker Priscilla Tow Nan are essential to ensure the all-round development of the child. As for the carers, some of whom benefit from courses at the MIE, IVTB or the Playgroup Federation while others are trained at school by skilled teachers, they obviously make a huge contribution to the children’s progress.