Kasungu District Council social welfare officer Ephraim Njikho has expressed concern with lack of well-trained special needs teachers in primary schools.
He said this on Saturday following a joint monitoring visit for World Vision Malawi’s Able to Thrive Project in Traditional Authority Chulu in the district.
strides made. | Gracious Phiri, Mana
Njikho said most primary schools lack special needs teachers, which compromises the provision of quality inclusive education.
He, therefore, commended World Vision for its interventions, saying the project has made an impact in promoting access to quality and inclusive education services for learners with disabilities.
Said Njikho: “We are impressed with strides made under the project which has helped to take out obstacles that prevented children with disabilities from accessing education.
“However, we have observed that there is shortage of special needs teachers in schools and this is among the challenges affecting inclusive education.”
The council’s education management information system officer Anthony Chipoka acknowledged the challenge, saying the district has 15 special needs teachers.
“With support from various partners, we have been able to introduce a number of initiatives to ensure more teachers are equipped with special needs skills,” he said.
On her part, World Vision disability inclusion specialist Chimwemwe Mungomo said they visited the district to appreciate the project’s progress.
Through the project, World Vision is promoting inclusive education through provision of assistive devices, establishing parent support groups and sign language clubs in schools and conducting referrals, among others.
The project aims to improve the well-being of 4 300 children with disabilities by promoting access to quality and inclusive services for their cognitive, social, emotional and physical development.
The organisation is implementing the project in Mzimba North, Kasungu, Dowa and Ntchisi.
