Founded in 1967 by the philanthropical wives of British navy officers, the Persatuan Cerebral Palsy Johor (CPJ) school has grown from 8 to 60 students today at its premise on Jalan Dato Menteri. It is a three-in-one NGO providing Education, Health Services, and Welfare to those in need.
Cerebral palsy is defined as impaired muscle coordination caused by damage to the brain before, during, or after birth. Physically less-abled people with cerebral palsy also have other disorders such as speech, hearing, visual, and sensory impairment. They suffer from emotional and social challenges as well.
CPJ was established as a centre to provide rehabilitation and special needs education for their students, and workshops for adults with cerebral palsy. Professional and passionate healthcare workers facilitate the development of daily functional activities such as speech, swallowing, and movement as a part of their rehabilitation programme.
To ensure each student gets adequate attention, the teacher-to-student ratio is maintained at 1:4. Each class is structured in a way that encourages motor, sensory, cognitive skills, and social competence. A special primary school syllabus is offered to academically-inclined students, while vocational classes enhance their skills where they learn how to handle materials to produce simple handicraft items.
The school also engages in other initiatives. It provides classes for adults with cerebral palsy as a means to improve their livelihood and sustainability by teaching them to make handicraft items. In another initiative, they planted 50 coconut trees in the school’s premise where the fruit is sold at RM3 each. Under the coconut trees, hives of stingless bees (lebah kelulut) are also housed, and its honey is also sold for funds. A fertigation project was launched to plant 200 chilies called “centel”, the produce of which could be sold for RM14 per kilogramme. All these are carried out to keep the students occupied and to help them earn a living in a community that understands, cherishes, and protects them.
Dato Rahmat, Chairman of Persatuan Cerebral Palsy Johor, has been with the NGO for over twenty years. His daughter, now in her thirties, was enrolled in the school and he shared how happy she felt being with her friends. They understood each other despite not having a clear language communication.
On the flip side, there are also some unfortunate events that he wishes to curb. He shared how one of his students, vulnerable and naïve, had accepted a job offer without informing him – it turned out that the student was exploited and taken advantage of. He hopes more public awareness about cerebral palsy can help protect those affected from being victims of such ploys.
As an NGO providing health and education services, Dato Rahmat said he doesn’t want CPJ to be a school that is merely “manageable”. He aims for CPJ to produce quality results. They are currently seeking donations and committed volunteers to help with fundraising campaigns, marketing, and advertising.
