Having read the Kenya’s
policy for learners and trainees with disabilities (2018), I note that the
country is on its way to having complete inclusive education. Kenya has passed
a new policy aimed at making education accessible, so that all children with
disabilities can go to school. This includes providing space, resources and
training in mainstream schools so that children with and without disabilities
can learn alongside each other. In the policy the country has committed to provide
effective learning opportunities for children
in regular school, free Primary Education for learners in primary schools,
conduct parents’ and leaders’ orientation workshops,
train School Management Committees to manage
institutions and finances, Children with special needs to receive special capitation grants, Constituency Development Funds (CDF), support
access to education, etc
There is effort to Provide
Free Primary Education (FPE) for learners
in primary schools. In curriculum development process, all stakeholders in the community are to be involved
to ensure needs of all children
in the society are met. This is further demonstrated by having already a
component of special needs education incorporated in primary teacher education curriculum.
All these mentioned
above is only good in paper. The government needs to move from paper to
implementation. We still have ‘special’ schools with ‘special’ children!