Abu Dhabi: To the shock and dismay of parents, yet another special needs school in the capital has closed down.
The closure of the Special Care Centre Abu Dhabi on June 22 is especially saddening as the centre was one of the capital’s oldest facilities dedicated to individuals with special needs, including expatriate individuals, parents told Gulf News.
The chairman of the centre’s board, Mohammad Al Fahim, however, cited a deepening financial crunch as the reason behind the closure.
“In order to continue operating, we would have had to renovate our current premises, and this would cost us at least Dh500,000. These are funds we do not have, especially as the annual fees that we charge have always been minimal,” Al Fahim.
The Special Care Centre itself was inaugurated in 1989 by the Indian Ladies Association, and the centre had about 50 students aged between three and 24 years attending its villa-based premises in Al Dhafrah neighbourhood in the capital city. According to officials, there are another 180 students on the Centre’s waiting list.
To cater to more individuals, the centre was set to open a new branch in Al Bahia which would have been able to accommodate a total of 400 students. But the shortage of funds has meant that the development of this facility has also ground to a halt, even though construction has been completed.
“We were struggling to cover the operational costs at our current centre, especially as it catered to families from a lower socioeconomic background and only charged Dh8,600 per student per year. It is very unfortunate that we had to go this route, but we were forced to come to this decision last month,” Al Fahim added.
Arun Singh, 47, a design coordinator and father of two from India, said his daughter had benefited greatly from attending classes at the centre over the past two months.
“There are very few affordable special needs centres catering to expatriate families, and my 15-year-old daughter with Down syndrome had been on the centre’s waiting list for eight years. After she was finally admitted, I began looking forward to the opening of the centre’s new branch, especially as it would have been closer to our home in Musaffah,” Singh said.
The lack of special needs facilities in Abu Dhabi city has long been a concern for parents with children who have special needs. As reported by Gulf News in May, 2017 has been especially devastating for these families, because another long-running centre, the Gulf Autism Centre, also recently shut down.
Unlike mainstream schools, children at special needs centres do not move up the grades and graduate, so a spot opens up for a child on the waiting list only when a child leaves the centre, another parent said.
“Mainstream schools cannot accommodate our children because they are often above the age limit for the grade that matches their learning ability. So the closure of another special needs facility makes an already difficult situation worse,” she said.
“We are deeply apologetic to the students and their families, many of whom have been part of the centre’s community for years, and are now scrambling to find placements. We are working with other schools for placement options in inclusive settings, and have returned all advance tuition fees,” Al Fahim said.
“Since its inception nearly three decades ago, the centre has been blessed with the loyal support of qualified administrators, staff, and long-term volunteers, who made the facility successful through their tireless work. Without this humbling support, the centre would have shut down doors years ago. We are still accountable for all the funds we have collected from the many kind and generous community members, and we at the board are in the midst of planning the next steps,” he added.
