March 15, 2007

President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva visits schools for mentally and physically retarded children

Mehriban Aliyeva, President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO, MP, visited on March 15 secondary school 268 of Education Ministry in Nasimi district of Baku.

 

Mehriban Aliyeva was warmly welcomed by children.

 

School has been functioning since 1927 in this building built in 1905. The building not repaired for long was under unsuitable conditions. Mrs Aliyeva studied the situation during her visit here in 2003 and initiated fundamental repair and reconstruction of the school in frame of Children Homes and Boarding Schools Development Programme of Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Works were completed in January 2005. Special permanent heat system, diner, sport complex is available here. The school has fully been equipped with new appliances, provided with doctor`s, logopaedics and other rooms.

 

After First Lady of Azerbaijan visited the school for the first time it started to operate more actively. 130 mentally and physically retarded children, which are 3 times more than before, attend now the school. 2 times more children are given special training program in families. 140 teachers and trainers are engaged with education of children in 15 classes and 6 groups. Children are given food 2 times a day. Parents take them home at the end of working day.

 

Photo corner on previous and current state of school, photos reflecting unforgettable meetings of national leader Heydar Aliyev with children, projects implemented by the Foundation, meetings of Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva at the school, flower pots decorating corridors and classrooms and tidiness create nice impressions.

 

Mrs Aliyeva saw the musical composition performed by children on Novruz Holiday at the hall of the school, shared their happiness and danced with them. The distinguished guest and parents were impressed by comic scenes, rhythmic dances skillfully performed by children.

 

Mehriban Aliyeva was familiarized with computer room of the school where children fluently use computers. They skillfully fulfilled tasks of Mrs Aliyeva.

 

Successes of children in labor training classes are reflected in their handworks displayed in workshop.

 

Holiday table organized in diner of the secondary school made children happy. Children sitting at the table, full of fruits and various sweets, with Mehriban Aliyeva asked her about her daughters Leila and Arzu, recalled their dancing and photographing with them last time, even remembered the place and children they sat with. Mrs Aliyeva was touched by this care and attention of children, said in next meetings she absolutely will take them too. Parents gathered here thanked Mrs Aliyeva for this care, stressed she had become the lovely one for these children.

 

Parent Nisa Abbasova applied to the President of the Foundation: every time seeing You on TV, Sevda, my daughter, calls everyone to see and listen to You saying `Aunt Mehriban`, recalls Your kissing her.

 

Mehriban Aliyeva said she finds her duty to share solution of problems of children with mental and physical disabilities, needing special care, moral troubles of their parents and relatives, tries to take possible actions for this.

 

Mehriban Aliyeva was photographed with children.

 

Children, greatly impressed by this meeting, sincerely saw the distinguished guest off.

 

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Children presenting flowers to Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva in front of the republic boarding school in Narimanov district for blind and visually impaired children expressed gratitude for the care about the fundamental repair, reconstruction and supply with new equipment of the school, said every condition for their convenience has been created there.

 

In the lobby decorated with boards reflecting words `Reconstructed at the initiative of Heydar Aliyev Foundation`, `Children in need of special care are not lonely` there is stand reflecting previous and current state of the school, photo corners on care and attention rendered by national leader Heydar Aliyev to children, meetings President of the Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva held at the school.

 

Director informed at the school operating for 61 years 300 children are trained. Half of them are blind, 27 are invalids of 1st group. 100 teachers and trainers, many of which are visually impaired, work at the school.

 

After Mrs Aliyeva visited the school for the first time the fundamental repair and reconstruction of the school in frame of Children Homes and Boarding Schools Development Programme of Heydar Aliyev Foundation started in late 2005. For short time works were completed in high quality, permanent heat system installed, diner, gym built. There are exemplary conditions to form artistic and aesthetic taste of children and organize their leisure. Large reconstruction works have been carried out at the yard of the school, lawns set, rest corners created. Children love much walking outdoor, resting here, playing sport games. The school is completely supplied with new appliances, medical rooms equipped with modern appliances to help diagnostics and treatment of children.

 

Graduates getting certificate after 12-year education program can enter the higher schools by test exams. Last year, of 14 graduates 4 entered the higher and 2 vocational schools. There are many talents among graduates. One of them was composer Israil Karimov.

 

Getting close familiarization with classrooms, bedrooms, subject cabinets Mehriban Aliyeva took interest in supply with books and textbooks, specialization training of personnel.

 

Children invited First Lady of Azerbaijan to the party arranged at the diner decorated on Novruz Holiday. The table was rich of various foods, sweets and fruits. Rhythmic song sang by pupil of the school Asger Aliyev, scenes performed by Kosa, Kechel and Bahar Gyz made children happy. Mrs Aliyeva tasted along with children the holiday pilaw, cracked eggs, said she will visit them frequently.

 

Pupils Zeynab Najatova, Leman Abdullayeva, Leila Mardanly said President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva is lovely person for schoolchildren and requested to give their congratulations for Novruz Holiday to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and her family members.

 

Mehriban Aliyeva was acquainted with works done at the school in frame of project `Assurance of access of blind and visually impaired persons to ICT` performed by Heydar Aliyev Foundation and UNDP.

 

There are about 40,000 blind and visually impaired persons in the republic. The Foundation found it necessary to organize the use of ICT as the mechanism to provide additional opportunities to them for increasing employment and collecting information, developed a joint National Strategy along with UNDP.

 

Computer experts of the school noted the large hall that is suitable for electron library has been supplied with 2 computer sets manufactured in Germany in base of last technologies for blind and visually impaired persons. Model ICT classes were created for children, software localized, access to Internet, development of education and training programs, audio studio and library provided.

 

Working mechanism of the technology was shown visually. It was informed that via Braille alphabet any book in Azeri, Russian and English is available for reading and listening after being saved on the computer. Listening to the music, access to Internet, sending mail, saving, copying a 100,000-page material, sending SMS, sending message to mobile phones is available. Textbooks are obtained and published. Visually impaired people wish to buy these techs and individually use at home. There are skilful specialists here teaching working with them. Due to support of the Foundation specialists from foreign countries were invited, seminars held, local specialists were sent to Germany. Joint work is carried out with Republic Blind Society.

 

According to executive director of the Foundation Anar Alakbarov, German specialists were surprised of hearing of realization of such project in Azerbaijan from local representatives who at the initiative of Mehriban Aliyeva attended last year the international exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, to purchase and bring this appliance, even if it is not included in the project. The German said such project is performed in Azerbaijan for the first time in CIS, even some advanced countries in Europe do not dare to implement that. Management of UNDP mission to Azerbaijan also expressed desire to visit soon the school to see the electron library at the school.

 

Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva, noting to the Foundation it is priority to support every blind or visually impaired child and reduce difficulty of their life, highly valued the actions taken in frame of the first phase of the project, gave recommendations on works to be done from now on, said views on the project outlooks.

 

President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation noted the support by UNDP to such a project is the result of trust in successful reforms carried out in Azerbaijan and at the same time the will the Foundation shows to get its objectives.