Students at Mulyan Public School have received free eyesight and hearing checks on site through the Lions Healthy Eyes program, helping ensure children can properly access their learning in the classroom.

The school had partnered with the Lions Clubs from Young and Bathurst to run the program this year, bringing the service directly to students.

“It is critical to student success that students have their eyesight and hearing checked as early as possible in their schooling,” Mulyan Public School principal Cath Briggs said.

The Lions Healthy Eyes program aims to identify vision and hearing issues early, helping prevent delays in learning.

“If there are issues and they are identified early, then the delay in learning that can be caused by issues can be fixed or mitigated,” Ms Briggs said.

The program is particularly important for families who may find it difficult to access testing through other services.

“The Lions Healthy Eyes Program helps students because not all families have the ability to access community resources to check hearing and eyesight, so bringing it to schools plays a huge part in supporting the ongoing success of students at school,” she said.

Students were able to complete the tests at school in a familiar and comfortable environment.

“By doing it on site, the students were in a familiar and safe environment so were best supported to complete the testing,” Ms Briggs said.

Members of the Lions Clubs from Young and Bathurst worked with the school to carry out the program.

“The Lions Clubs from Young and Bathurst ran the Lions Healthy Eyes Program for our students in 2026 and were fantastic to deal with,” Ms Briggs said.

She said the volunteers helped make the experience positive for the children taking part.

“They were supportive, efficient and made our students feel comfortable and confident as they had this critical testing completed,” she said.

The school was also visited during the program by local Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke, who is a strong supporter of the initiative.

“At Mulyan Public School we always love having the Honourable Steph Cook MP visit our school,” Ms Briggs said.

Ms Cooke has supported the school previously, including backing the completion of its perimeter fence in 2019.

“She was a champion to get our perimeter fence completed in 2019 and her support of the Lions Club Healthy Eyes Program means that it receives the recognition and support the program deserves from our community,” Ms Briggs said.

She said both hearing and vision play a vital role in a child’s education.

“The ability to see clearly in the classroom and hear what is happening in the classroom are crucial to the success of children at school throughout their education,” she said.

Ms Briggs said early identification of issues helps ensure students have the best chance to succeed.

“Both eyesight and hearing can fluctuate and addressing any issues as early as possible for children will allow them optimal access to their learning and therefore the best chance for success throughout their education,” she said.

She encouraged the community to continue supporting programs that benefit local students.

“I would urge our community to support programs like the Lions Club Healthy Eyes Program in any way they can,” Ms Briggs said.

Ms Briggs thanked the volunteers and visitors who helped deliver the program.

“I would like to thank the Lions Club members and Steph for visiting our school and offering the program to our students. We are very grateful,” she said.