Dhaka: Ziaur Rahman Foundation (ZRF) Vice President Dr. Zubaida Rahman on Tuesday visited Blue Sky School, an institution run by the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) for children with special needs. The young students welcomed her with flowers upon her arrival, while BAF Women's Welfare Association (BAFWWA) and Others Women and Children Club (OWCC) President Saleha Khan received her.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Dr. Rahman observed various classroom and overall developmental activities for children with special needs, including hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, psychology, and music therapy. Principal Group Captain Mohammad Nur Ullah provided a briefing on the school's activities, which include education, technical training, therapy facilities, and medical emergency arrangements.
The school, established by BAFWWA in 2021, currently employs 28 specially trained teachers and therapists who work towards helping the children lead healthy and normal lives. Each group of five students is assigned one teacher and one sister or brother. As part of its technical education programme aimed at making children with special needs economically self-reliant, some students have already been employed as assistant therapists.
Dr. Rahman also visited the training activities of BAFWWA Crafts and Boutique, the long-term training project, and BAFWWA Industrial Home under the BAFWWA Corner. She inspected handicraft products made by the trainees. At the end of her visit, she attended a cultural programme featuring performances by children with special needs from Blue Sky School and students from BAFWWA Golden Eagle Nursery.
The cultural programme included songs, dances, a fashion show, and various other performances by the children. Dr. Rahman praised BAFWWA's humanitarian initiatives to provide education and therapy facilities for children with special needs and help women become self-reliant. The visit concluded with a photo session with the young students and the presentation of a memento and a special gift, a photograph of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, on behalf of BAFWWA and OWCC. Saleha Khan delivered the welcome address, and a video presentation highlighted BAFWWA's programmes and the activities of Blue Sky School.