This article covers an initiative that came out of the recently concluded
Africa Forum on Social Inclusion, which is now being broadcast on the new
ACB Radio World stream.
Allafrica.com
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Kenya: The Blind to Benefit From Education Plan
By The Nation (Nairobi)
Nation Correspondent, Nairobi
An initiative that will force African governments to provide education to
visually impaired children has been launched. The Education for All
Children with Visual Impairment in Africa programme is in line with the
wider goal of ensuring education for all by 2015. Education permanent
secretary Karega Mutahi launched the African initiative on Tuesday night at
a forum attended by representatives of blind and visually impaired people
from 40 African countries.
In a speech read by the PS, Education minister George Saitoti asserted that
children with disabilities deserved education to help them lead meaningful
lives. The minister said the Government would ensure that the right to
education for persons with disabilities was included in all national
education plans. The move would also ensure equal distribution of resources
to all learners.
Children with disabilities
"Education and training opportunities help to fill in the gaps in economic
and social development that marginalise them," he said. The Government, he
added, was developing a policy on special needs education. He said the
policy would guide the inclusion of educational services for children with
disabilities in national development plans.
"Many people with special needs have already been socially excluded through
denial of education. This needs to be addressed urgently by all concerned,"
the minister said. He cited lack of clear guidelines and support for an
education policy and lack of data on children with special needs as some of
the challenges facing them. Others are inadequate tools and skills for their
identification and assessment. "This means that special education has not
been absorbed in all education sub-sectors and programmes as effectively as
it should be."
Many teachers have not been trained to handle children with special needs
and the children are rarely placed in appropriate learning institutions.
Their teaching and learning materials are also expensive and inadequate.
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