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Equity and Inclusion of Children With Special Education Needs
By: Paul Abok, Advocacy and Communications Officer, PAL Network
Background
Despite the disruption caused by COVID-19, Kenya’s education sector has rapidly improved. Prior to the pandemic, the government embarked on ambitious reforms aimed at improving educational quality through a variety of means, the most significant of which was a new competency-based curriculum (CBC). Inasmuch as these reforms, which have potentially made Kenya a top education performer in Africa, there’s a need to look at the inclusion of children with special education needs. In light of the former Education Cabinet Secretary, Prof. George Magoha’s assurance to the public that the government will include special needs education in ongoing curriculum reforms, let us explore some statistics about this group.
According to the 2019 national census, 2.2% of Kenyans aged five years and above have a special need or disability, translating to 918,270 Kenyans (KNBS, 2020). Other available estimates of the disability prevalence include the Ministry of Education National Survey (2018), which reported 11.4%, based on 321 years; the Kenya National Census of 2009, which reported 3.5%; and the Kenya National Survey for Persons with Disabilities (KISE, 2006), which reported 4.6%. Using these results, the population of Kenyans with special needs and disabilities may vary from 400,000 to 2.3 million.
Kenyan students with special needs have faced schooling barriers for decades (Sifuna & Otiende, 2006). Children with special needs and their families are routinely excluded from disaster management and recovery programs, as evidenced by governments’ lack of a playbook and the scarcity of information on them during school closure (Muhumuza, 2020; United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction—UNISDR, 2015).
The Intervention
With the support of the Include Platform, the PAL Network conducted a survey of registered policy dialogue participants, highlighting the importance of focusing on special needs education. A special education study was commissioned, and in April 2022, a report and summary on the inclusion of children with special needs in education were published. The legal framework for education, employability, and social protection was highlighted in the report. It also addressed barriers to quality education, the employability of people with disabilities, the well-being of people on social protection, the impact of COVID-19, inclusive development, education and equality, and disability inclusion. Curriculum reform, government policies, data management, Education Assessment and Research Centres (EARCs), and funding were all addressed in the report.
The report’s findings were disseminated in three Kenyan counties: Nairobi, Kisumu, and Kilifi. The report was validated in Nairobi on May 27, 2022, at the Best Western Plus at Westlands. People’s Action for Learning and Zizi Afrique co-hosted the event. Following the presentation of the findings, a policy dialogue ensued, with panellists answering questions and clarifying any issues that arose. Panellists were chosen from data collectors and respondents, such as parents of disabled children. A total of 40 people attended the event in person, with another 30 participating online. There were 22 journalists in attendance because this was a media event.
The second dialogue took place on June 17, 2022, at the ACACIA Premier Hotel Kisumu. Participants from the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission, Education Assessment and Research Centre (EARC), Leonard Cheshire Disability, National Council For Persons With Disability (NCPWD), the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB), and students and teachers from 11 special schools participated in the face-to-face dialogue (1 school for learners with disabilities, 7 primary schools, and 3 secondary schools). Physical, cognitive, hearing, and visual impairments were all represented among the students. The third policy dialogue was held in Malindi, Kilifi County, on July 2, 2022. The Ministry of Education, Teachers Service Commission, NCPWD, county government, civil society, religious institutions, and EARC were among the 54 participants.
The Impact
The reach of policy makers and stakeholders at national and subnational levels has been immense, as shown by the attendance at the policy dialogues. The engagement and candid conversations about the issues facing the inclusion of children with special needs made this dialogue wholesome. The dialogues also received extensive coverage on national and local media outlets, not to mention free access to the recorded session on YouTube for anyone interested. Stakeholders also made individual and some shared pledges on actions that they would take in their various capacities to create awareness and improve the inclusion of children with special needs. listening to the views shared by teachers and heads of schools for children with special needs, civil society organisations and county government representatives. This helps stakeholders in the room understand the scope and the challenges each office has, making them relate better in terms of developing solutions to increase the inclusion of children with special needs in education.
Beyond the impact that the project has had on stakeholders and policymakers, It has also given the PAL Network and its members a significant insight into the extent of the struggles faced by children with special needs in education. Being a network-based organisation with a focus on education, these insights will prove useful in our approach to data collection on children’s learning outcomes and how we implement our learning interventions. It also broadens our subject of foundational learning to include the unique challenges of children with special needs. We believe in creating a foundation of lifelong learning where no child is left behind and sharing our reports and findings on our platforms will also help create a wider awareness of the inclusion of children with special needs in education.
What Next?
The fact that the competency-based curriculum is focused on nurturing every learner’s potential shows the government’s intentions of leaving no child behind. The Basic Education Curriculum Framework (BECF) also makes provisions for a differentiated curriculum for learners with special needs who may follow the regular curriculum with adaptations or who may require a specialized curriculum. These show that there is space within Kenya’s institutions to foster the inclusion of learners with special needs. To put these commitments into practice, more conversations and dialogues between government representatives and stakeholders are needed. This will hasten implementation and improve learning outcomes for all children.
