Education for children with disabilities, Kenya

Training for Special School Teachers in Kenya

In January 2023 I made a visit to our projects in Kenya. My first week was spent at Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) where we have a pioneering project to train 40 special education teachers in how to transition students with learning disabilities from school to adult life. The training is the first ever of its kind in Kenya and is ground-breaking because it tackles the hitherto completely neglected problem of older students with learning disabilities becoming stuck in school with no plan for their future. The course content was designed and written by Advantage Africa in partnership with KISE which is the national government body for special needs teacher training in Kenya. We produced a handbook for teachers and devised the course modules which were piloted in 2021-22. Available at https://www.advantageafrica.org/school-leavers-transition-for-youth-with-learning-disabilities

At the end of the first week-long module (week 1 of 3 modules) the trainees evaluated the training so far. They all rated the training overall as good or excellent and 100% said it had increased their knowledge ‘very much’. Typical of their feedback were statements such as this, ‘This training has been a real eye-opener to me. Older students over-staying is a big problem in special schools. This is the first time we have been given strategies to address the issue’.

During the course of the training year, the schools of the trainee teachers will be provided with some small grants to put their learning into practice with students in their schools. From our pilot training last year we have numerous successful examples of school-leavers starting productive adult lives. For example, Francis who has a learning disability and was 22 years old when he finally left special school. His grandmother, who is his guardian, says, ‘The school helped us so much, Frances is now rearing his sheep at home. He’s happy, confident and likes what he’s doing. He would not want to go back to school. He has bought himself clothes and even a phone, he gave Christmas gifts to the family! We are happy.’

Follow-up visits last year to 19 other families captured the voices of other parents and guardians. They explained how, as a result of the project, their transitioning students had learnt relevant new skills, gained self-esteem and become more responsible. Families also said their own attitudes to their children with learning disabilities had changed, their expectations had been exceeded and they were more positive about the future.

Special Education Units at Mitaboni and Thinu, Central Kenya

Later in my trip to Kenya I was able to visit the staff and students of our two special units. With your help we provide monthly salaries to the vital support staff, including the cooks, house mothers and security guards. Where possible we also buy teaching resources and maintain the buildings.

It was encouraging to see how well these units are negotiating the joint challenges of recent huge price rises in Kenya, the effects of severe drought in the north and east, described by the UN as the worst drought for 40 years and the after effects of COVID. Most children with disabilities tend to come from poorer families, and many struggle to find money to pay school fees. However, our schools have allowed families to pay in instalments, meaning most students have returned after the Christmas holidays and are excited to be learning with their friends in a safe and caring environment. We sincerely thank our valued supporters who make education possible for these children who would otherwise have nowhere to learn and thrive.

Links:

• Transition handbook for teachers and training course modules

Regional factors such as the continuing severe drought in northern and eastern Kenya, and the global crises which are causing dramatic increases in prices of basic foods and fuel, continue to add to the challenges experienced by our projects to educate children with disabilities in Kenya.

Despite this, we were delighted when staff and students at our Special Education Unit in Thinu, central Kenya, recently took some time out to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the school’s opening. This is a major achievement not only for them, but also represents a landmark for us at Advantage Africa, since we supported the school from its inception, through construction and to its opening to the first students in 2012.

The facility is now educating 45 pupils with intellectual disabilities and over the years the staff have developed a ‘transition programme’ whereby each year several of the older students graduate, to start productive activities as young adults in their home communities. We are planning for a further three students to graduate from the school in November 2022, making spaces for new children with learning disabilities to be enrolled, thus continuing the intake of new children into the school’s second decade.

Recently, both regional and global factors have added to the challenges experienced by this project. East Africa, including parts of Kenya, is experiencing the worst drought for over 40 years, and global economic factors, and the war in Ukraine are also having serious consequences in Kenya, causing dramatic price rises especially in food and fuel. These issues put additional strain on our schools and mean external assistance has never been more critical or more appreciated.

Despite the additional challenges, our Special Education Units at Mitaboni and Thinu are managing to keep running, continuing to provide an education appropriate to the needs of children with learning disabilities. In the last few months, in addition to the school’s classroom-based activities, teachers at Thinu Special Unit have extended their work into the community making follow-up visits to the homes of school-leavers who have previously been trained and supported to make successful transitions into adult-life. Five students started sustainable ‘home-programmes’ in the last two years, four rearing dairy cows and one has a sheep keeping enterprise. We are pleased to report that all five are doing well since leaving school. Through good care, the livestock numbers have multiplied, and the families are benefitting from the milk and meat production. These productive activities not only contribute to the family incomes, particularly crucial at this time, but also build the school-leavers’ self-esteem and independence, and contribute to changing negative perceptions of disability in their local communities.

We are pleased to report that, over recent months, our special education units at Mitaboni and Thinu have managed to start to recover from the educational storm imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The schools continue to develop their curriculums to suit the abilities of over 50 pupils they support. This means a continued shift away from academic ‘learning by rote’, towards skills of daily living which promote independence, and vocational learning which is relevant to the students’ future lives. At Thinu for example, they are practising dexterity and concentration by crafting simple items like paint brushes using natural materials. They have also introduced training in barbering skills, which can be used at home or developed into an income generating opportunity.

Although the two schools are now running as usual, we have seen the lasting effect of COVID-19 lockdowns that mean returning pupil numbers are down, because many families of children with disabilities are still struggling to meet their basic needs and to find the necessary school fees. The dedicated teachers and support staff are doing their best to support families as much as possible, whilst they also navigate their own individual challenges at home. Their commitment and love for the pupils that they wash, dress, feed and educate every day is inspirational, and they always humbly thank Advantage Africa for the much-needed support we are able to provide through this project.