Education for children with disabilities

GUTU – AS inclusivity becomes the cornerstone in all the Social Development Goals
set to attain the country's Vision for the year 2030, steps at bringing aboard all
disabled children into the education system are underway in Masvingo Province.

In line with the Global Disability Inclusion mandate, which is also enshrined in the
country's Education and Disability Acts, the Government has roped in partners to
complement its efforts.

Over the years, the efforts have been stalled by inadequate resources to ensure a
holistic approach to the programme through community engagement and setting up
of resource centres catering for children with disabilities at schools.

Addressing Gutu stakeholders at an inception meeting held recently, Project
Manager for Leonard Cheshire Disability, Hilton Nyamukapa, said full inclusion of
children with disabilities in the education system hinges on community awareness for
knowledge and attitude change so that it contributes to harnessing the potential
within the children in order for them to become full contributors to the country
development.

With enrolment of disabled children in schools found to be low because a number
were hidden or kept at home due to stigma, poverty, ignorance, long distances to
schools, lack of specially trained teachers to cater for disabilities and lack of suitable
learning materials and spaces.

Nyamukapa said their organisation is supporting quality integrated inclusive
education and eye health in all the seven districts of Masvingo Province for a
duration of three and half years, spanning August 2023 to December 2026.

By the end of the programme, they aim to have promoted enrolment of all young
children with disabilities in existing education system as well as retaining 80 percent
of the girls in school. The programme targets 425 children in Gutu with the provincial
target standing at 2 980.

Ministry of Primary and Secondary School Education has since seen an increase in
standard disability accessible schools from seven to 107 in the past few years.

Out of the 162 primary and 78 Secondary schools in Gutu only Gutu United Primary
School at Mupandawana has a Resource Centre, offering a wide range of education
to children with varying disabilities, while Batanai Primary School at Basera Growth
Point caters for those with hearing impairment only.

Underlining the importance of widespread awareness to all corners of the
communities, Nyamukapa said the programme first seeks to lobby for removal of
negative attitudes, myths and beliefs about disability. Community engagement and

embracing of the programme is expected to bring forth an accurate database of
children with disabilities at home and in schools, identification of needs and
interventions.

The programme also seeks to improve teaching and learning facilities to cater for
those with disabilities through establishment of resource centres with relevant
learning devices.

The programme will also strengthen the capacity of local teachers to handle children
with disabilities through training. It targets to train 60 teacher educators at colleges,
210 in-service teachers at model school and its cluster counterparts, infrastructural
development to required standards at the model school, eye screening and
treatment and provision of spectacles.

Working in partnership with implementing partners, CBM , Zimbabwe Association of
the Visually Handicapped and Reformed Church in Zimbabwe's Morgenster
Hospital, the programme will also offer eye health care to a target group of young
children and youths of up to 24 years not necessarily with disabilities, while those
outside that age range would be taken on aboard at a token fee.

Model schools, particularly those that already have disabilities Resource Centres,
are being selected to get project funding for them to offer infants inclusive education
facilities for children with disabilities. These will become centres of excellence, where
other schools in the district will learn from for own establishment. Other schools and
communities can also refer children to this model school," Nyamukapa said.

Gutu United, which started offering then "Special Education” in 1970, becomes
Gutu's model school. The school currently enrols five children with hearing
impairment and 12 with intellectual disabilities and a number with mobility disability.

Neighbouring primary schools to work with Gutu United under this project are;
Gondwi, Mushaviri, Chipangane, Chidembo, Gutu C.P.S, Chamisa and Hwiru.

Nobuhle Moyo, the district Project Officer said they have undertaken a disability
accessibility audit at the school, where they noted that some improvements and
additionals needed to be done on ramps, handrails, pathways, classroom entrances
and toilet seats.

The Resource Centre manned by three specially trained teachers, is expected to
have low cost boarding facilities to accommodate pupils from all the 41 Wards of the
district.

A number had been failing to access the school with other parents and guardians
commuting or walking long distances each day accompanying children to the school,
where they wait for them until closing time.

One of the teachers, Shylet Mudhenge, while addressing attendees at an awareness
meeting at the school this week, said they enrol the children up to 18 years, after
which they are expected to go to a rehabilitation centre, where they will undergo
skills training. The school has 11 children awaiting to go to Beatrice Rehabilitation
Centre, which is currently undergoing renovations.

While welcoming partner assistance to the Inclusive Education programme, an
officer with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Zvirashei, said the
project will go a long way in achievement of Sustainable Development Goal1 in the
education sector in the district.

He said a number of children with various forms of disabilities are being left behind
because social and economic challenges.

He noted that lack of knowledge in communities about available schools, where
children with special needs can be accommodated has relegated a number of
children to community outcasts.

"The Ministry has in place schools and rehabilitation centres, which can assist
children with disabilities to become self-sufficient and contribute to development of
the country. There is a district resource teacher at our district offices, who assists on
placement of these children, depending on their type of disability, he said.

The District Chairperson of the Associations of People with Disabilities, Munana
Mhondiwa, was in agreement, saying that they are part of the current exercise in the
creation of a database for children with disabilities in the district.

They have also taken the opportunity to come up with an updated database of adults
as well, since there is not a single one at the moment. He estimates the district to
have around 6 500 people with various forms of disabilities around 2 500 of these
being children. – Rural Communication Services