First Lady Mubarak underscores importance of children's development
Egypt, Education, 11/20/1999

Egypt's First Lady Suzanne Mubarak Thursday said that the experiment of developing five intellectual education school is a pioneering experiment of joint action by the Integrated Care Society and the Ministry of Education.

It was motivated by a humanitarian and social aim and was carried out by a scientific and educational thinking, out of belief that education is the right of every child and that entering the third millennium requires rehabilitating all children to enter the new millennium with efficiency.

First Lady Mubarak said that disability is one of the important challenges which calls for taking an urgent action, as the handicapped children in Egypt ranges between 800,000 and one million and they need rehabilitation.

Mubarak said that in June the Integrated Care Society held a conference under the title "Horizons of Intellect" which gave the signal to begin dealing with children' special requirements and their conditions from an objective point of view motivated by sense of responsibility and desire to make them acquire vocational skills which enable them to earn their living.

Five intellectual Development schools were chosen in Cairo governorate to begin work in the field of caring for children who suffer from mental disability.

The seminar discusses a number of issues and axes on the road of intellectual Development development. The four axes, Mrs. Suzan Mubarak explained, deal with four main subjects: development of intellectual Development schools, providing health care, development of psychological evaluation and follow up through training courses.

Mrs. Mubarak mentioned three main elements for rehabilitation: first: paying attention to secure the educational environment surrounding the student during the period of education. Hence, comes the call to develop and prepare school buildings in a proper manner which facilitates the application of educational and development programmes so as to provide the child with attracting elements to help him discover and make the best use of his abilities. Second: paying attention to the development and modernization of health care in accordance with new developments so as to train doctors, health visitors and social experts on first aid and on dealing with these children. Third: the necessity to prepare an efficient team of work to help and care for those of special requirements at the intellectual Development schools.

Mrs. Mubarak stressed the importance of education prior to professional training for those who are mentally disabled in order to develop their ability and to choose the professional training compatible with their tendencies and ability.

Mubarak said that among her future aims is to help these children participate in activities of society by developing their abilities.

Suzanne Mubarak in 1979 obtained her M.A. from the American University in Cairo on " Integrated Child Welfare in Popular Areas." In 1980 , she founded the Integrated Welfare Society. In 1987, she was selected as Vice-Chairman of the Arab Council for Childhood and Development and as Chairman of the Egyptian National Council for Childhood and Maternity in 1988. In 1989, Mrs. Mubarak was selected by the US Congress Library as an international president for the junior readers' year, dedicated to the encouragement of child reading. One of the areas which has received Mrs. Mubarak's attention was a comprehensive campaign to encourage children to read, under the slogan " Reading for All". Under this ongoing campaign, several public and school libraries for children have been established in all governorates, in addition to health care services provided to rural and urban children.

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