Parents, society barriers to education for children with disabilities

By Guardian Reporter
27th April 2009
HakiElimu, a non-governmental organisation dealing with educational issues.


Parents and the society in general have been singled out as the key barrier to the education of their children with disabilities.
This is contained in a recent report titled ‘Accessibility to Education for Children with Disabilities’ carried-out by HakiElimu, a non-governmental organisation dealing with educational issues.
“In many schools, head teachers interviewed explained that they received very little support from parents and community in general regarding teaching and learning for CWD,” said HakiElimu executive director Elizabeth Missokia when launching the research findings.
She said that in the research some parents of CWD were a barrier towards their children’s educational development.
Citing examples, Missokia said one head teacher was quoted as saying: “Parents do not have any support. In fact they are a problem; they abandon their children once they are in schools.”
“The society doesn’t help anything in the education for students with disabilities. Parents don’t give any cooperation; once their children are in school they abandon them completely, and they don’t want to be contacted for anything,” another head teacher was quoted as saying.
In the research findings, some participants observed that disabled had not been given priority in some districts compared to other disadvantaged groups such as orphans.
“In our district, disability is not an issue compared to other disadvantaged groups, such as orphans. There are several organisations helping orphaned children in the district, but there is none commitment to helping students with disabilities,” another primary school head teacher said in the report.
The research was meant to explore opportunities and challenges in accessing education for CWD in Tanzania’s schools.
The research covered seven districts of Geita, Muleba, Iramba, Kinondoni, Kasulu, Newala and Ileje.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN