In this personal article, Daniel shares his observations of our recent visits to four Internat schools in Tajikistan…
The group thought long and hard before agreeing to post articles about the Internat schools. The fire last week had made the state nervous about foreign journalists and we did not want to make a hard job even harder for the staff of these schools. As you can see, we’ve opted to publish our experiences.
We were affected in different and profound ways – we are all mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles. Some of us have experience of disability in the family; others know what it is like for a single parent to bring up children. Each of us have connections which allow us to connect personally to the children we have met in these schools.
Visiting other Internats, we’re still feeling weary not knowing whether to expect more propaganda on how much the government is doing for orphans and disabled children. Of course there are some directors who seem to fulfil the rumours we have heard. Surprisingly the opposite seems to be the case amongst the deputy directors and other staff we meet.
Every school visit has a haunting coldness to it. The lack of electricity in the hallways and classrooms seems to emphasise this further. One of the schools has wide well ramped corridors that remind me of wooden American rollercoasters. But there is a stark difference from the fast movement of the carts and the joy and fun children have on rollercaoaster rides,
These hallways are the opposite. Cold, still, and empty. Despite how hard the staff work in these schools, I find it difficult to believ that segregating children from their peers due to physical, social, or mental disability, is an appropriate response to their care and future welfare.
The children are the future of this country. Everywhere we look we see the elder generation clinging on by their fingertips to some sense of dignity and hope. Exclusion of the next generation now is not healthy for them or the state.
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