Ministry Urges Entities to Develop 20-Year Roadmap for Special Needs Learners.
Simon Nabukwesi, the principal secretary for education, has challenged special education organizations to prepare a 20-year plan for the sector.
The first Ubuntu Special Needs and Inclusive Education conference ended on Thursday at Nairobi’s Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE).
According to Nabukwesi, the current road plan does not reflect the country’s actual needs and is far inferior to many other nations.
‘‘For example, we do not train specialized personnel to support children with disabilities in class,’’ said Nabukwesi.
Additionally, he stated that the Constitution must be implemented so that no one is left out, as failing to do so has led to the hiding of disabled children in households.
He said that the Kenyan government keeps giving a lot of money to the education sector so that all children can get a good education.
According to the World Report on Disability for 2011, there are 93 and 150 million children under 14 years old worldwide.
According to the 2016 Education Commission Report, there are around 65 million elementary and secondary school-aged children with disabilities, many of whom are out of school.
Nabukwesi says that a recent study of how having a disability affects school attendance in 15 countries showed that most children with disabilities have a hard time getting to school.
Regarding the report titled ‘Towards Inclusive Education: The Impact of Disability on School Attendance in Developing Countries.”
According to Nabukhwesi, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes the right of persons with disabilities to be included in the general education system and to have access to free and compulsory primary education as well as secondary and higher education, without discrimination.
Moreover, he stated that the Convention provides direction for creating an inclusive educational system.
“For example, under the Convention, a government is required to take measures to facilitate the learning of sign language, Braille, and other alternative modes, means, and forms of communication,” he said.
It stresses the responsibilities of training and employing qualified teachers and giving all the necessary support to facilitate the effective education of individuals with disabilities.
Access to education, especially for students with disabilities and other special needs, is still hampered by roadblocks that haven’t been found yet.
Nabukhwesi says it is essential to prioritize special needs education in Kenya to achieve inclusive, high-quality education.
