Introduction

Introduction

Oasis Special School offers specialised professional education to severely mentally handicapped learners irrespective of their cultural background. Each learner develops at his/her own unique rate. Our aim is to provide sufficient opportunities and experiences for the learners so that they are able to develop to their full potential and to be successfully integrated into the community.

Oasis school caters for 256 learners ranging between the ages of 6 and 18 years. The learners are placed according to age and functional ability. We have different phases namely: Junior, Intermediate, Senior and Vocational.

Our service areas are:

Belhar, Delft, Elsies River, Bishop Lavis, Nooitgedacht, Montana, Eerste River, Blackheath, Kuilsrivier, Bellville, Parow, Netreg, Ravensmead, Uitsig and Wesbank.

Our learners are severely intellectually impaired due to genetic disorders and brain damage incurred during pregnancy, brith and early childhood. The most common genetic disorders are: Down syndrome, Sotos syndrome, Kabuki Makeup syndrome, William’s syndrome, Pfeifer syndrome, Prader-willi syndrome, Pierre Robin and Stikler syndrome.

The school has a large number of learners who suffer from Foetal Alcohol syndrome and post-meningitis brain damage due to alcoholism and negligence, which results from poverty, unemployment and illiteracy. The most common problems amongst our learners are Epilepsy, Hyperactivity and Behavioural problems that require regular hospital visits and medication.

Oasis school does receive a subsidy from the WCED and donations from various sponsors. The school, however, is forced to rely on fundraising events in order to meet all the school’s needs.

Oasis school is involved in various sport codes, such as: soccer, cricket, swimming, netball, athletics and hokker.

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