As the children elbow each other, yell away and occasionally burst into the latest filmi track Aati kya Khandala, they could pass off as `normal', like the rest. The IQs of these children range between 70 to 90, which, said founder and principal Lena D'Silva, ``is translated by many as being mentally retarded, which is not the case.'' On the flip side are parents who don't accept the fact that their children have a problem. ``Such children are considered backbenchers. But few understand that they need special care and attention,'' Lena added.

A trained psychologist, Lena set up the MREC in 1983 with just two children.Now, it has around 70 students who are taught in two batches -- a `baby class' for the newcomers, from where they graduate to the second level. There are also yoga, dance and music classes.

Children with varying intellectual capacities are taught in one level itself. For instance, while one group might study math meant for second standard students, another might learn English meant for class three. Therefore, the eight full-time and four part-time teachers have their hands full moving from one group to another and teaching different children different things. After the courses, the children can sit for the National Open School exam. They also have the option of going for the eleventh class afterwards, but that is a rarity, conceded Lena. Most children reach a `saturation point', beyond which they are unable to assimilate any more information, which is why Lena stresses on the need to start vocational courses to equip the children with specific skills.

The school's future plans however, have been put onhold because of lack of space. At its present office, a Child Guidance Clinic and classes for two batches of students jostle for space.

What keeps it going are its success stories. Paras Zaveri, one of their students, made it to the Special Olympiad in 1995. He won two gold medals, one silver and one bronze in different athletic events. The students' parents also back the school's efforts. Neeta Roy, whose eight-and-a-half-year-old son Roshan studies at MREC, said: ``When my son joined this school last year, he couldn't even hold a pen. Now he can write.'' The success story makes it fulfilling for the staff as well. ``It is gratifying to see students who couldn't do anything on their own at first learn so much after they come here. Many of them were hyperactive when they came here, many couldn't do sums, but now most have picked up,'' says a teacher, Sonia Fernandes. As if to prove her point, a student from her class peeps in to ask, ``Want to know something about the nuclear bomb?''