 With a roll of 140, the School and Centre for Children with Special Needs in Tarawa is the only organisation catering for the care and education of children with disabilities. For six years now, the government has been supporting the operational funding requirements of the school. And this work goes on because it is work that we particularly want to do. We have a strong focus on disability. Even though it's not one of the four main areas, we still wish to do some work in this particular sector. Australian funding also supported the construction of this much needed new classroom block. Today we witnessed the kind of contribution what can be done in terms of addressing the very special needs of the very special people. And of course these young people are very special. This will be a testimony of the collaboration that can happen, that has happened, and I hope it will continue to happen in terms of partnership. I thank Australia again for having made this contribution, but I want to work with Australia to keep coming forward. The upskilling of staff is a major priority for the school. Neymarib was one of three staff members who gained Australian standard qualifications in proficiency in Braille. I've got to say that I was pleasantly surprised when I first visited and I have been on every other occasion. It's absolutely clear that the children are loved by the staff who are there and they love them in return. Braille is a foundation for children with visual impairments by touching the series of race dots on this special paper. They are able to read what has been typed. Modern technology has also become increasingly important and a visit by IT specialist Ben Clare, himself blind, saw many advances for both staff and children. It's great to work with the students here who work so hard and they pick up information very very quickly because they see the importance of it I think. You know when these students finish school they would be able to participate in further study whether it be at university or the KIT or somewhere like that and then they would then have the skills to work in a regular office environment. With this modern technology, Maris has been able to write her own speech for an event at the Australian High Commission and read it. Mobility for these students has also seen the need to bring in specialized skills. They're learning to use their cane and travel independently and travel safely as well as skills such as money skills, shopping skills, mapping skills, etc. They need places like this to give them intervention. They don't learn naturally they need people to help them with their movement skills, with their learning, their concept development, what's out on the street, things like buses, what are buses, how do you catch a bus, and how do you sit in a bus. So there are lots of things that they actually need to be taught and that's what the teachers here are learning, how to specifically train someone who is blind. Auslan Sign Language is a foundation for the deaf and hearing impaired. It's like a totally new language that staff and students have to learn. Without it, students will remain silenced and uneducated. The world of a deaf child is an extremely lonely one. Any breakthrough where they can begin to communicate with other human beings is eagerly seized on. They become very very quick learners. This in turn keeps their teachers on their toes. Later this year there are plans to bring a skilled trainer in signing from Australia to work with students, teachers, and parents. The regular presence of Australian volunteers, both now and in the past, has played no small part in the outcomes. They serve as role models for professional development and bring a whole range of expertise, experience, and supportive networks. On the eve of departure, volunteer Anne Clark has the very mixed feeling of having worked herself out of a job. But at the moment I think the teachers here are just really steamy ahead and they just don't need me anymore so I'm going home. And in the case of new arrival Erica Smith, she has a very clear focus of the other divisions which now need nurturing and development. And that's more disability group which is physical disability, intellectual disability, and the children with autism. I do recognise that we're only touching the surface of the problem because we're addressing the needs of children with special needs here on South Tarawa and we don't have all of those. And yet of course there's all the rest of the country as well. For those children that are fortunate enough to be able to be placed in the school, it's a wonderful institution. It's a remarkable place. I haven't experienced an institution with that kind of happiness about it. They get right out there and they sing and they dance and they do what they can to the best of their ability. I think it's just wonderful to see. At this time of celebrating the new classroom block, it would be timely to remember that the school has faced many challenges in the past. For example, no funds for salaries and even closure of the school. There are still challenges to face. But with the stability and growth which has come from Australian support, the school is well positioned to move forward in bringing education and care to a great many more children with disabilities in Kiribati.