BabuK
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 30, 2008
- 1,845
- 329
Aggrey Mwanri,the Deputy Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments)
Tanzania has only 134 special education experts distributed in several municipalities, the Parliament was told yesterday.
Out of them, seven have certificate qualifications, 51 are diploma holders and 76 attained a degree in special needs attained at the University of Dodoma, Sebastian Kolowa Memorial University (SEKOMU) and Patandi Teacher Training Institute.
Aggrey Mwanri, the Deputy Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments), told MPs that the government was aware of challenges in the provision of special education and was working hard to improve the situation.
He was responding to a question from Special Seats MP Al-Shymaa Kwegyir (CCM) who wanted the government to state the number of special education officers in the country, following an outcry on a dire shortage.
The MP also wanted to know their level of education, if it goes with the challenges facing students with special education, saying that special education teachers are mostly deployed to normal schools. This leaves special schools with serious shortage of teachers, she stated.
"Can the government tell the House if it plans to recruit more teachers for special education in the ongoing teachers' recruitment?" she demanded.
Jennister Mhagama, the Deputy Minister for Education and Vocational Training, responded saying the government would recruit students for special education training.
There is a big problem in the provision of special education due to inadequate staff in the sector but plans are underway o reduce the problem, she said.
Another Special Seats MP, Dr Mary Mwanjelwa (CHADEMA) said the needs and rights of disabled children in the country are neglected in education programmes.
There is a poor enrolment rate, high drop-out rates, while children and parents who are left out feel disheartened.
"Disabled children should be able to learn in regular schools, just like others," she emphasized, maintaining that the special education system only meets the needs of a few.
A breadth of education experts assert that special schools are expensive to establish and run, and by segregating disabled children they inadvertently contribute to their permanent exclusion.
Quite apart from this, the best chance a disabled child usually has of an education is through inclusion in a mainstream school.
Records of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training show that fewer than five percent of disabled children in Tanzania go to school.
Even if they can get there, sustaining that vital education isn't easy, with inaccessible buildings, a lack of suitable teaching materials and a shortage of teachers make for a difficult learning environment.
They especially need teachers who know sign language and understand Braille. All of this is compounded by the negative attitudes of education authorities and society in general.
"There is a growing concern on whether we care for education of people with disabilities," the MP intoned.
People feel that there have not been effective plans to ensure that students with disabilities are given adequate support to access quality education at all levels.
Moreover, there is concern about girls who become pregnant whether they are given access to go back to school, as this has been talked for the past five years but scarcely anything concrete has been done, she added.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
