Right to Education for Children with Disabilities: A Situational Analysis

In 2000, more than 1000 participants from 164 countries gathered in Dakar, Senegal, for the World Education FOCUS where the participants – ranging from teachers to prime ministers, academics to policymakers, non-governmental bodies to the heads of major international organisations – adopted the 2000-word “Dakar Framework for Action, Education for All [EFA].”

One of the six EFA goals that were agreed upon is the expansion and improvement of comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

Achieving the right to education for persons with disabilities in basic education is a challenging task, but entirely necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of education for all by the target date of 2015, according to the EFA Flagship document entitled, “The Right to Education for Persons with Disabilities: Towards Inclusion”.

Yet ten years down the line, many children with disabilities are still going through tormenting experiences in Malawi. Statistics show that there are over 70, 000 special needs children in the country. Furthermore, there are only 13 resource centres specialised for the special needs children throughout the country, which are few compared with the magnitude of the problem on the ground. Most of these resource centres were actually established by church missionaries long time ago rather than the Government. Yet Government fails to adequately resource the already few centres available, let a lone increase the number.

For instance, a child who is visually impaired in Chitipa District must travel all the way to the ill-resourced St. Mary’s School in Karonga District; the one in Mulanje must travel to Lurwe in Nsanje; and the one in Mchinji must travel to Malingunde in Lilongwe.

It is a pity that even in this era disability is still treated as an issue of charity – not necessarily an issue of human rights – at both policy and community levels. The number of special needs teachers in the country is still inadequate, and Government is often sluggish in developing an all-inclusive curriculum. Government changes the curriculum now and again, yet it takes time to put the curriculum in Braille.

 

So what should Government, policy makers, rights advocates, local leaders, yourself ad myself do to promote the right to education for persons with disabilities in Malawi?

First, there is need for more sensitisation not only at policy level but, more significantly, at community level. This is one of the critical roles that rights advocates and local leaders can play at local level. Due to the prevailing negative cultural beliefs, parents need to be sensitised on the rights of disabled children, including the right to education.

On its part, Government must implement clear policies aimed at enhancing opportunities for persons with disabilities, and create conducive legislative environment to protect and enhance their participation. The enactment of the draft Bill which is still gathering dust in the Government’s shelves is now long over-due.