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| Mr. George Mainja ( right), Kasese DEO with the Mr.Eric T, Kamwenge DEO after meeting and discussions on SNE |
KALI
is a member of Rwenzori Consortium for
Civic Competence (RWECO) working and implementing a project on Enhancing
Civic Competence on Social Accountability in the Rwenzori Region. KALI operates
in 18 Sub counties of Kasese district and 10 Sub counties of Kamwenge district.
Under education sector we look at how we can promote and improve service
delivery in the education sector together without compromising on the quality
of education despite the meagre resource envelope.
RWECO-KALI
held an education stakeholders meeting on 5th December, 2012 in
Kamwenge District. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the plight of
education status in Kamwenge District.
During
the meeting one of the action point was to have exposure visit for the Kamwenge
District officials from the Education department with emphasis on Special Needs
Education implementation as an inclusive package under the UPE programme.
It
was upon this background that on KALI organised a two day learning exposure
visit from 9th to 10th April, 2013 for a seven (7) people
team comprising of DEO, DIS, SNE, Director St. Anthony, Speaker, Secretary for
Education and PWDs representatives.
Their
interest was on how to improve on the inclusiveness of SNE in the UPE programme
basing on the following objectives:
·
Sharing good practices and experiences in the
implementation of SNE in Kasese District.
·
Gain knowledge, skills and appreciate how the
Education Department has underscored the SNE implementation amidst the meager
resources.
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| Teachers of Rukoki Model Primary School, talking with Mr.Eric T, Kamwenge DEO during their visit 9th April, 203 |
Participants
The visiting
team was led by the DEO Kamwenge Mr. Tumwiringire Eric and accompanied by the District
Speaker Hon. Gerald Twebaze, the Secretary for Education Hon.
Monday Wilson, PWDs
representative Hon. Ngazoire David, Education Officers in charge of SNE
Mr. Mugisha Mulinde Apolo for Kitagwenda County, Mr. Nuwamanya John for Kibale
County and the head teacher St. Anthony primary school Mr. Kisembo Francis.
The hosting team
included the DEO Mr. George Mayinja, DIS Mr. Koliko Musa Saadallah, Retired DEO
Mr. Katemba C. Douglas, KALI-RWECO staff M&E Ms Sheila Kengingo, Programme
Officer Mr. Muhesi Nicholas and Driver Mr. Baguma Augustine.
PLANNING
Before the field
visit we had a brief meeting at the DEO’s office in Kasese district to plan on
how we can orient the visiting team and to get what their expectation and fears
so as to forge the way forward for the SNE implementation.
After the briefing
the participants agreed on the sites to be visited and the following schools were
selected Rukoki Model Primary School, Saad Memorial SSS, Kinyamaseke Primary
School and Mpondwe Primary School that implement the SNE programme.
FINDINGS
Rukoki Model Primary school caters for the UPE
inclusive programme with 636 pupils with about 116 pupils identified having
multiple disabilities and impairments. Kasese DLG chose the school to be a
model to cater for all the people with Special needs in education.
In Saad Memorial
SSS, the Head teacher Mr. Nkutu K.Asuman revealed that the school is a model in
the western Uganda. In 2012 the school had 21 students of SNE 9 were females
and 12 males in the following categories:
Totally blind
(1), deaf (1), physical disability (8), partial hearing ability (4) and visual
impairment (7). The head teacher Mr. Nkutu told the participants that out of 21
students 4 students were in S.4 and all sat for UCE and got certificate awards.
We opened the
year 2013 with 18 students having different disabilities as shown below:
Blind (1), deaf
(1), severe disability (1), physical disabilities (4), partial hearing (6),
visual impairment (5).
Out of 18
students 10 are girls and 8 are boys.
In Kinyamaseke
Primary School the enrolment is 410 boys where 76 are SNE
466 girls where
60 are SNE totaling to 876 pupils where 136 are SNE. The school is the centre
for Bukonzo County accommodating 26 pupils of
SNE as boarders and the rest are day scholars.
The degree of
disabilities of children ranges from mild to moderate to severe to profound.
The categories include hearing impairment-deaf, vision impairment-blind, mental
retardation-Hydrocephalus, physical –brittle bones, stunted growth, sinal
bifida
Challenges
The head teachers
for all the sites visited gave the following challenges:
·
Lack of permanent and qualified staff posted by
government
·
Lack of funds to support the locally recruited
staff.
·
Need to carry out renovation of incomplete block
·
Needs to support the children with disabilities
in the day to day maintenance
·
Lack of care giver and the corresponding
financial support
·
Lack of scholastic materials to promote leisure
activities for inclusive games and sports.
·
Lack of ramps to access classes and other
facilities
·
Lack of resource room and its equipment such as Braille
machines, wheel chairs
·
Lack of medication services.
Lesson learnt
·
SNE is still lacks support from both the central
and local governments
·
Kamwenge DLG has the opportunities to start SNE
centres at any cost and use the opportunity as spring board.
·
The participants learnt that in order to succeed
in the implementation of SNE programme, a multiple approach should be used such
as dealing with the stakeholders that are able to support the programme.
·
The parents should be sensitized on the UPE –SNE
inclusiveness programme
·
The peer to peer approach should be employed.
i.e child centred approach, parent centred approach, co-teaching and team teaching.
·
Differentiated learning is the best approach.
·
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| Let us see if this will work for you in Kamwenge district! Kamwenge DEO listening to Mr.Katemba ( in brown treasure former Kasese DEO |
ACTION PLAN
·
Compile a field exchange visit report by DEO
·
Establish a district SNE management Committee by
DEO
·
Advocating for establishing SNE centre/unit by DEO
·
Identify, assess and placement of SNE children
by in charge of SNE
Nicholas Muhesi
KALI
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