African education experts converge in Nairobi

Education policy makers and opinion leaders are meeting Tuesday to discuss the initiatives African governments are making to entrench disability inclusive education in the continent in their respective countries.

The acting director for special education, Mr Fredrick Haga, said international agreements and conventions are calling for education services to be provided in an inclusive manner.

“Inclusive education happens when children with and without disabilities participate and learn together in the same classes,” he said.

Research shows that when a child with disabilities attends classes alongside peers who do not have disabilities, good things happen.

He said the conventions have questioned the efficacy of segregating education for learners with disabilities from conventional schooling.

“The objective of the workshop is to create opportunities for sharing knowledge and capacity building for effective disability-inclusive education planning and practices in Africa,” Mr Haga said.

He said it will also provide a chance for fostering South-South exchange and local solutions to disability inclusive education as well as strengthening regional and country-specific networks in Africa to promote disability-inclusive education

The acting director said the workshop has also attracted experts from the World Bank, USAID and UNICEF as well as from 10 countries in the Africa region namely: Ethiopia, Ghana, Rwanda, The Gambia, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia.​