Ministry of Education Director General Dr. Elyas Abdi has said that the government is moving towards dispensing inclusive education, a move which will see children with disabilities attend regular schools and operate from their respective homes.
Dr. Abdi made the remarks when he officially opened a workshop dubbed Learning Event on Disability-inclusive Education in Eastern and Southern Africa: Kenya’s Successes with Disability-inclusive Education at a Nairobi hotel on Monday.
He reported that Kenya has a total of 338 special schools where 300 are primary and 38 are secondary schools.
The Director General noted that Kenya’s focus on special needs education is evolving and most students living with disabilities receive their education in integrated educational institutions.
He further said that the government had established Educational Assessment Research Centers (EARCs) for screening recommendation for placement in appropriate educational institutions depending on the child’s special educational needs.
The Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) Education Advisor Wongani Taulo expressed the need to strengthen the policy frameworks for the needs of children living with disabilities.
”Resource allocation to special needs education should be equitable to ensure no child is left behind in education matters,” said Taulo, adding that transformation of the community and teachers at school levels was important in order to make the education of children living with disabilities more effective.
Director for Special Needs Education (SNE) Fredrick Haga said that if inclusive education is integrated in regular schools for children living with disabilities, it would enable them remain with their family members.
“Only children with severe disabilities are the ones who will attend special schools,” Mr. Haga said in the workshop.
The workshop brought together participants drawn from Malawi, Lesotho, Tanzania (mainland and Zanzibar) and Kenya.
The workshop aimed at providing a highlight and overview of evidence on the situation, good practices and constraints faced regarding the provision of quality disability-inclusive education in Eastern and Southern Africa.
It was also aimed at discussing the opportunity to bring changes in schools and practices that prevent children with disabilities from accessing quality education among others.
By Our Reporter
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