In a meeting designed to address the neglect of issues that touch upon People With Disabilities (PWD), officials have accused the government of denying them their basic right to education. The officials also demanded that the Ministry of Education and Sports address the lack of teachers for PWD programmes in schools.
The officials suggested that it should be mandatory that Ministry of Education employs at least four teachers per schools with special needs education programme training, facilitate them and increase their salaries for motivation.
The symposium was organized at N&D Hotel by Foundation for Human Rights Initiative to discuss human right abuses in the people with disabilities in Luweero on Thursday.
The Luweero district Councilor of People With Disabilities Deborah Nalubega said that pupils with disabilities who were integrated in special needs education programme are more less tourists at school because they don’t get attention due to lack of teachers.
Nalubega revealed that though Luweero has more than 10 schools with 30-100 pupils with different impairments but they only have one teacher per school who must interpret or teach from primary one to seven. Nalubega said that this lack of adequate attention to PWD needs leads to an increased drop out rate because the pupils will inevitably fail the exams.
A parent of a PWD pupil Frank Ssenabulya accused Ministry of Education and Sports of neglecting the children with the disabilities. He was especially bitter that the lack of funds to sponsor the programme has often led to suspension of PWD projects in schools.
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The vice chairperson of newly created Human Rights Parliamentary Committee and national MP for PWDs Sophia Nalule also accused the same ministry of funds for the Special Needs Education to Counseling and guidance programme.
// Cue in;’’but when it comes for budgeting……………………..
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The project officer of Foundation for Human Right Initiative Rose Nanyondo decried the neglect of special needs programmes described it as an abuse of the right to education.
She went on to say that the foundation is working on a report that will petition parliament to intervene before the situation deteriorates further. The petition will be presented to Parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga.
