Special needs education hindered by lack of infrastructure, teachers in Bunyoro

Masindi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The lack of adequate infrastructure for special needs learners in the Bunyoro sub-region is hindering education.

Bunyoro region has only two special needs schools in Masindi and Kagadi districts. Special needs education targets children with visual, hearing, learning, and motor impairments, among other disabilities.

Mary Atugonza, the female councilor representing People with Disabilities (PWDs) in Kyabigambire sub-county in Hoima district, reveals that lack of essential scholastic materials, absence of trained teachers, and lack of special infrastructure are hindering access to education for children with disabilities.

She says the demand for special needs education in the sub-region is real, stating that many of the children who are supposed to be in schools are still in their homes struggling to access education.

She has appealed to the government and other development partners to come out and help children with disabilities to access education.

Ibrahim Mugisa, a teacher at Busanga primary school in Kakumiro explains that they lack teachers trained to handle the learners with special needs, yet the school has about 30 learners with special needs.

He explains that the two existing special needs schools in the region have become referral centers, even drawing students from neighboring regions of Tooro and Buganda.

Mugisa explains that due to the lack of a special needs school, many of the children living with disabilities are missing out on the chance of education.

Gilbert Bigirwenkya, the executive director of Hoima Union of People Living with Disabilities (HUDIP), noted that several schools in Hoima City and district don’t have special needs teachers.

He says they have several times appealed to the concerned education authorities to ensure that every school gets at least three teachers to help the PWDs, but in vain.

Tyson Kiiza Kasangaki, the Buliisa District Education Officer (DEO), explains that the district is currently struggling with an acute shortage of teachers and it is difficult for them to attract special needs teachers.

Kasangaki explains that they have plans to establish special needs units in some selected schools, and he hopes for support from the Ministry of Education to address the needs of children with disabilities.

Christine Wiajik, a resident of Kyangwali sub-county in Kikuube district, explains that some special unit schools which had been opened up within the Kyangwali refugees’ settlement area to cater for the children with disabilities have been shut down after development partners withdrew funding.

She says the schools have been very crucial in helping children from the host communities, but most of them are shutting down due to a lack of funding.

Carolyne Kyomuhendo, a mother of a child with visual impairment in Masindi, explains that the government should emphasize vocational education and the provision of the necessary human resources and special equipment and materials to support the children.

She adds that sign language Interpreters should be employed on a permanent and pensionable basis.

By 2024, Bishop Rwakaikara Primary School in Kagadi district, which has a unit for children with disabilities, had a total enrollment of 125 learners.

The school attracts learners from Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, Kakumiro, Hoima, Kibaale and Mubende districts.

Rev. Herbert Mugisa reported that the lack of enough teachers and neglect by many parents have contributed significantly to the poor performance of learners in the school.

Mugisa explains that the school is challenged to offer desired attention to the learners with disabilities because only a few teachers are posted to handle them from primary one to primary seven.

He explains that, during the classes, learners need sign language interpreters, whereas others need special handling, but some attend lessons without a teacher because the only teacher is engaged in another class.

The government has been instrumental in promoting an inclusive education for all. Despite these efforts, challenges exist at all levels.

Access to education for children with disabilities is limited, and retention and quality are negatively affected by constraints ranging from a lack of physical capacity, infrastructure, and learning materials to inadequate teacher capacity and negative attitudes and stigma.

Records show that about 16% of Ugandan children have a disability; this suggests that most children with disabilities are not able to attend school and that learners with special needs fail to transition from one educational level to another.

According to a UNICEF report of 2014, only 5 percent of children with disabilities can access education through Inclusive Schools and 10% through special schools.