- The Kwale School for Intellectual Development and Disabilities has appealed for additional classrooms, dormitories and vocational training materials to support over 200 learners.
- Teacher Flossi Botto has said government funding remains insufficient given the school’s size, with classrooms currently divided to accommodate different learner groups.
- Well-wishers have been urged to provide food, clothing and learning materials, noting that some parents rarely follow up on their children after enrolment.
A school for learners with intellectual disabilities in Kwale County is appealing for additional classrooms, dormitories and learning materials to improve learning conditions and equip more than 200 learners with practical skills.
The Kwale School for Intellectual Development and Disabilities, which caters for learners living with conditions including autism and cerebral palsy, says inadequate infrastructure and training materials are limiting its ability to provide quality education and skills development. Speaking during a food donation and assorted items drive by Mwajambo CBO, teacher Flossi Botto said the institution continues to face significant needs despite receiving government funding through the Ministry of Education. “We are grateful that the government is funding the school, but because the institution is big, the funds are not enough to cater for all our needs,” she said.
Botto said the school was also struggling with a shortage of vocational training materials, including fishing lines, beads and sewing equipment, which are essential in equipping learners with hands-on skills. She said the school also has inadequate classrooms, forcing teachers to divide the available rooms to accommodate different groups of learners. “We have two classrooms, but they are not enough. We have divided them into two, which makes the learning environment unconducive,” Botto said.
She added that the school is also facing pressure on its accommodation facilities, with the available dormitory struggling to accommodate the growing number of learners, saying additional classrooms and dormitories would help ease congestion and provide learners with a better environment for education and skills development.
Mwajambo CBO Chairperson Fatihiya Shaban said the support her organisation provides to the school each year was no longer sufficient because the number of learners and their needs were increasing. She urged other well-wishers and organisations to support the school with food, clothing, learning materials and other essential services. “The students need a good learning environment, food, clothing and other special requirements to improve their health and education. The teachers also need counselling services,” she said. Shaban added that some parents rarely followed up on their children after enrolling them, making it difficult to address some of the challenges affecting the learners.
ALSO READ: TSC reshuffles Senior Directors in fresh staffing changes
Mwajambo CBO member Rose Mbogo said supporting learners with disabilities was important in ensuring they had equal opportunities to access education and acquire skills. She said adequate support would enable the learners to develop practical skills, become more independent and participate meaningfully in society.
By Shaban Omar
Get more stories from our website: Education News
To write to us or offer feedback, you can reach us at: editor@educationnews.co.ke
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
