Monday May 13, 2013

Dyslexia student needs help for PMR

MY son is suffering from dyslexia. It is a neurological problem that results in difficulty to learn to read, write or spell.

My son, who is sitting for his PMR examination this year, can only spell and read three words (four letters) per minute.

As such, on the advice of his neurologist from a government hospital, I have requested that his school enrol him as an OKU candidate (all this while he has been studying in a regular school).

I have also requested for a question reader or “pembaca soalan”.

My son has a letter from the neurologist suggesting that he be given a question reader for his PMR examination which I submitted to his school.

His school informed me that in a regular school, only extra time is given to OKU candidates. No question reader is allowed unless the candidate becomes “rabun secara tiba-tiba” or “buta secara tiba-tiba”. This is according to a circular from the Education Department.

As such, my son will only be given some extra time which will not be of any help to him.

Dyslexia is a form of disability which is still not recognised in Malaysia.

In some countries, question readers are provided to dyslexic students as their right.

To a dyslexic student, no matter how much extra time is given, it will not be of any help because they will not be able to read any faster. In the end, they won’t be able to finish most of the questions.

I humbly request the Education Department to look into this matter.

I am not asking for a question reader for my son because I want him to score straight As. But, I merely want my son to pass the examination to prove to himself that he is not stupid, as he has been labelled as such all this while.

My son has never passed any of his school term examinations. He always feels down and demotivated after every school examination.

Whenever he brings his test question papers home, I will read to him the questions and he can answer 60% of the questions correctly.

He feels very happy with his achievement and I will be in tears seeing the happiness on his face.

Students are judged to be intelligent or poor based on their ability in the written language. Those who struggle are often labelled by teachers and their peers as lazy, demotivated or lacking in intelligence.

Having dyslexia doesn’t mean one is stupid.

In fact, dyslexics often have average to above-average intelligence with high verbal language skills. Many successful and well-known people have dyslexia, including Thomas Edison, Walt Disney and Albert Einstein.

I beg the Education Department to reconsider its rules on having a question reader for students who have learning difficulties.

Please don’t deny dyslexic students their rights. Let them be proud of themselves and let them prove to themselves that they can be as good as their peers.

“Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb up a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” — Albert Einstein.

DYSLEXIC’S MOM

Penang

News

Monday May 13, 2013

Dyslexia student needs help for PMR