Problems Facing Special Needs Schools In Kenya

Schools Ill-Equipped to Support Children with Special Needs: Report

By Daily Nation
Writer: JAMES KAHONGEH

The new report launched by Amina Mohamed, Education Cabinet Secretary, on March 22, 2018, reveals a troubling reality for students with special needs in Kenya. The system remains ill-equipped to support learners with disabilities, according to a joint report by the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) and the Ministry of Education.

The National Survey on Children with Disabilities and Special Needs in Education, conducted between 2016 and 2017, indicates that 11% of all learners in Kenya have some form of disability. The most common disabilities identified include:

• Visual impairment: 3.1%
• Physical disability: 3%
• Intellectual disability: 2.5%
• Hearing impairment: 1.2%
• Speech and language: 0.9%
• Deafblind: 0.2%

Although many of these children are enrolled in schools, the dropout rate remains alarmingly high due to the lack of support services in most learning institutions. The report highlights significant inadequacies in teacher training for special needs education, with 78.28% of head teachers in integrated primary schools lacking any formal training in this area. Only 2.24% possess a Master’s degree in Special Needs Education (SNE).

Challenges Identified

The report also points out the absence of a policy framework to guide inclusive education implementation, and notes that funding for children with disabilities is not adequately tailored to their specific needs. Furthermore, the curriculum currently in use fails to accommodate the diverse requirements of children with disabilities.

County Support and Resource Allocation

County governments are reported to provide minimal support to Educational Assessment Resource Service centres, with only 6% receiving assistance in terms of personnel, office space, and equipment. Key challenges faced by these centres include:

• Understaffing
• Inadequate materials
• Lack of appropriate tools
• Insufficient funding

Moreover, advocacy and community engagement regarding education for children with disabilities are seriously lacking. Parents and guardians are often not actively involved in their children's education.

Demographic Insights

The distribution of children with disabilities is fairly even, with 51.2% being boys and 48.8% girls. Notably, 72.6% of learners with disabilities reside in rural areas, compared to 27.4% in urban settings.

The survey aimed to gather data to improve educational services for learners with disabilities in Kenya, particularly as the government undertakes sweeping educational reforms and implements the competency-based curriculum (CBC).

Government Response

During the launch of the survey findings at the East Africa Conference on Inclusive Education, Amina Mohamed described the results as a vital resource for planning quality education for children with disabilities. She emphasized the need for collaboration among all stakeholders to address the identified issues.

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang announced plans to establish assessment centres for children with disabilities across all counties, ensuring that learning institutions are equipped to meet the needs of all students.

Recommendations

The report makes several key recommendations, including:

• Developing policies to enhance access and retention of children with disabilities in education.
• Separating funding for children with disabilities based on the type and severity of their needs.
• Reviewing the curriculum to better serve learners with disabilities.
• Increasing the number of trained staff in special needs education.

For more information, visit: Kenya Special Needs Schools