By Chris Mugasha
BUSHENYI: Bushenyi District has been named among the districts with many cases of children living with different categories of disabilities.
According to an official from the Equal Opportunities Commission, Bushenyi has got almost the biggest cases in the Western region.
Nicholas Natuha, the Bushenyi district education officer in-charge of special needs said the district has over 430 pupils with special needs across the district.
The above children are those that have been documented and scattered in different schools while out of the above numbers, over 100 children are stranded at one primary school in the district.
The over 100 children at Ruhandagazi primary school which was formerly a school for children with special needs have no specialists to attend to them and as a result they have been left to struggle on their own. Among these children include those who are deaf and would require an interpreter but none is there to help them on interpretation.
The revelation was made recently during a stakeholder’s engagement meeting that was organized by Equal Opportunities Commission at Bushenyi district Multi-purpose hall in Bushenyi town. The meeting aimed at engaging with stakeholders in the education sector to see how they can promote inclusive education.
“It is unfortunate that we go to classes and teach normally and leave the deaf ones to struggle on their own since we don’t have an interpreter,” said a teacher who preferred anonymity adding that, “this is discrimination.”
According to Natuha, the district has got only 10 trained teachers to handle children with difficulties.
For Ruhandagazi, it has no leveled compound, no wheelchair and is not fenced nor guarded yet it hosts children with difficulties-who just end up moving anyhow.
Zubedah Nansamba a senior training and education officer from the Equal Opportunities Commission said it is unfortunate for such a school that accommodates such children to be in such a state. “How can such a school have one trained teacher despite having such numbers of children living with difficulties?” she wondered.
During the meeting, speaker after speaker, shortage of funds to cater for the children with disabilities was highlighted as one of the hindrances. They said there is no special fund that has been set aside to address their needs/requirements.
They further indicated that both teachers and parents lack skills to detect learners who are having difficulties.
The participants recalled that schools for special needs were in place but were later phased out by government which Nansamba explained saying the purpose was to emphasize inclusive education. “Schools are inclusive by names without facilities,” a teacher responded.
The teachers called upon government to train teachers and facilitate them for schools to be able to handle cases of children living with difficulties.
Asked about the situation in other districts, Nansamba could not go into details but said, “That’s why we are here-Bushenyi.”
Regina Twinomujuni the Bushenyi district police’s Children protection officer said some parents neglect children with disabilities. “Everybody should be aware that he/she is a disability candidate and therefore we should advocate for improved services.”
Natuha however explained that there are other districts (which he didn’t mention) which he said may top Bushenyi interms of numbers-children living with difficulties.
“You may find that other districts have not identified those children unlike Bushenyi where we moved to every school and assessed every learner,” he explained. “There are some districts with about 5 units gazette for these children,” he said.
Attempts to get a comment from the District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. Stephen Bwekingo on why these cases are on increase in the district were futile. Bushenyi is one of the districts battling with cases of malnutrition especially amongst children despite having food an issue that some say could be behind the cases. End
