Counselling teachers acquire new skills at SEE course

Borneo Bulettin: 15 May 2009 [Friday]

Participants in a group photo

MOHAMMAD ABDULLAH

To further enhance their teaching and communicative skills, 17 counselling teachers including those from pre-vocational schools attended a basic course on sign language. The course, which began yesterday, will conclude on June 11 and is organised by the Guidance and Counselling Department of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien College.

The programme is based on the 'Signing Exact English (SEE)' and was conducted by Cikgu Sirazzudeen bin Md Maideen from SOAS College. Among the objectives of the event are to fulfil one of the counselling ethics needed for the field and to better communicate with students, especially those with special needs.

Counsellors and teachers from SOAS College, Rimba Secondary School, Pengiran Anak Puteri Hjh Rashidah Secondary School Lumut, Pengiran Jaya Negara Pg Hj Abu Bakar Secondary School Kuala Belait, Sekolah Tinggi Perempuan Raja Isteri STPRI, Sayyidina Umar Al Khattab Secondary School Lumapas, Berakas Secondary School, Pengiran Dipa Negara Sengkarai Secondary School, Tutong and Sayyidina Abu Bakar Secondary School are taking part in the course.

Through better understanding and learning of the basic sign language skills (SEE), counsellors may provide better counselling to not only students with special needs but also to teachers and mainstream students whilst utilising the newly acquired skill to foster closer ties amongst them.
It will also provide the opportunity for special needs children to learn alongside mainstream students as their special needs is not a hindrance for them to learn.