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The importance of art in the world of a challenged pupil. My
name is Robin Opperman and I am the Head of Art and Technology
at the Ningizimu School for the Severely Mentally Handicapped.
This is a school just South of central Durban on the East Coast
of South Africa. The term Severely Mentally Handicapped (SMH) is
very broad and crude. It therefore contains a wide range of
abilities and skills. A discipline such as Art allows us to
ensure that every pupil has an opportunity to express their
abilities and potentials to the maximum. This is crucial, as in
most cases their avenue of written or any kind of academic work
is confined to a very basic level of expression. A pupil such as
Siyabonga is therefore able to tell us all something about what
he is feeling, as well as give insights about the world around
him. Despite that