Peshawar - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has established the first-ever Braille printing press of the province and it has started converting textbooks into Braille codes for the visually impaired students.
Braille printer creates tactile dots on heavy paper, making writing comprehension accessible for the blind. The press, established at the Government Institute for the Visually Impaired Children in Peshawar, has several workers who are converting textbooks into Braille writing (dots).
Talking to The Nation, the institute’s principal Muhammad Arif said that currently, printing of textbooks into Braille language was underway at the institute, which is catering to the whole of the province.
“There are 11 schools for the visually impaired children in the province, including three in Peshawar alone. Also, construction of three such institutes is underway in the merged areas of Khyber, Mohmand, and Bajaur while one school is being established in Malakand district,” he added.
He said that first a Braille book is typed, then it is proofread before final preparation. “Currently Braille books up to matric level are being made,” he added.
The establishment cost of Braille printing press is Rs43 million. The fund had been approved last year when KP’s former chief secretary Kazim Niaz had taken special interest in the establishment of the Braille printing press.
A visually impaired teacher of the institute, Awais Alam, who has done masters in political science, said that there were several schools for the blind but that a major problem they were facing for decades was the lack of proper books for them.
He said that after primary level, the visually impaired students used to go to Punjab to do their matriculation there.
“Many students would abandon education after primary level because they would not afford to move to another province for this,” he added.
Discussing the Braille printing, Kazim Niaz, who is considered to be the pioneer of Braille printing in the province as he took the initiative in Peshawar, said that when he was the chief secretary of KP last year, he visited the institute and there he came to know that Braille press was a key facility it was lacking.
“When I inquired as to why there were fewer students in the institute despite being a major school for the visually impaired students, I was told that it was because the premises lacked a Braille printing press. This is why, I talked to the Chief Minister and we approved a non-ADP scheme for it,” he added.
He said he later arranged an exposure visit of the institute staff to Islamabad and other cities before launching a reform agenda for the institute.
“Not only the institute has been made disabled-friendly via Braille printing, but we also improved its hostel. I believe that it is a dream come true,” said Kazim Niaz, who currently serves as secretary for water resources in Islamabad.
According to the provincial government data, there are around 3,75,752 differently-abled persons, including 7.2% visually impaired persons in the province. In the merged districts of the province, differently-abled persons are around 15000, of whom almost 10% are visually impaired.