By Erick Nyayiera
Special Schools in Kenya are staring at the potential collapse of the institutions due to financial crisis bedeviling their services and operations.
The schools administrators’ now raise serious concerns over alleged sustained intentional negligence by the Ministry of Education on the plight and interest of the special needs learners.
The heads of Special schools led by Samuel Demba of Fr. Ouderaa Special School for the Hearing Impaired in Siaya County disclosed that services to the special needs learners including normal operations across institutions have greatly been hampered by lack of resources.
The tragedy according to Demba began when the government abolished the capitation system that largely sought to address the serious plight of learners and specialist personnel who were helping them in the schools including their teachers and resorted to funding all schools in Kenya based on capitation per child.
“Kenyans are soon going to be treated to news of the collapse of the special needs education institutions. Our learners are not getting it any better because the government has adopted lackluster attitude on special needs education and all its components,” regretted Demba.
He blamed the new funding system noting that it seeks to hurt the special children since they need special type of services and attention.
They now want the government to get back to the capitation according to the streams and not student numbers unless they are able to increase the capitation per child to Sh1000 per child in special schools so that it will be sufficient to cater for other needs.
He noted that whereas special learning centers are less in student numbers. They have many workers employed who are largely specialists hence must be remunerated well in the best interest of the learners.
The deaf learners according to Demba must have interpreters and matrons in their dormitories to assist them.
He appealed to the government to return the vote head for workers that was scrapped so that special schools can benefit from the crucial specialists services.
