Teachers ban girl, 2, from nursery because her deformity 'scares her classmates'

A Russian mum claims her young daughter was turned away from a nursery school because teachers said her skull deformity would scare the other children.

Svetlana Gizatullina says teachers at the school, located in the village of Alatany in the Sterlitamak District of The Republic of Bashkortostan, told her that her daughter, Sofya, 2, would have to undergo surgery on her skull and fused fingers and toes before they would consider allowing her to attend.

Svetlana and Sofya’s father Rasul Gizatullina recently travelled with the young girl to Israel to undergo surgery, but doctors refused to operate.

“Doctors said that that they won’t be able to operate on her skull. We had the last check yesterday and it is definitely a ‘no’,” Mr Gizatullina said, adding there is also a question mark over operating on Sofya’s limbs.

“They will still have to decide about the surgery on her hands and legs because anaesthesia can affect the girl badly,” she said.

Sofya suffers from hydrocephalus, a medical condition in which an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid occurs within the brain during sleep, causing skull deformities and breathing and heart problems.

Educational Psychologist Ekaterina Belan said it was crucial for Sofya to have social interaction with other children her age as soon as possible to help her “accept herself for who she is”.

“The sooner she gets the experience of interactions, the easier it will be for her to cope with the conditions in which she lives and grows,” the psychologist said.

The family reportedly live with Sofya’s grandparents in an old house with no water, gas or heating.

Head of the Republic of Bashkortostan Radiy Khabirov said officials had visited the family and authorities plan to find a flat for them so that they do not spend winter in a cold house.

—With Australscope

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