Disability is not Inability

Special education Task force
August 2002

Special education Task force is formed.

A task force to collect views on special educaStion has been appointed.

It will determine the status of special education and weather or not those with disabilities are benefiting from the free schooling launched in January.

The 10-member team is chaired by Dr. Edward Kachung of Maseno University and coordinated by Mr. Josiah Okumu the Director of the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE).

Other Members are Mr. Robert Karanja (secretary), Ms Zipporah Mutea, Mrs. Grace Ogonda, Mr. Tobias Ogutu, Mr. Moses Oketch, Prof. P.W. Kariuki, Mr. Musa Wambua and Mrs. Marty Runo.

The chairman said in a statement yesterday that the Task Force would begin work on Monday with a Public Hearing in Nairobi’s Charter Hall, followed by another at KISE on Tuesday.

The Team will move to Nakuru and Nyeri on August 21 and then move to other provinces. Its last sitting will be in September 8 in Busia and Machakos..

Details of the itinerary, which have been sent to district and provincial education offices, will be published in the Nation Tomorrow.

Mr. Okumu said the Team would determine the Number of children with special needs, unit cost of teaching them and the number of teachers needed.

It will also help design training programmes for teachers and developing teaching and learning materials.
When free primary education was launched, no provision was made for children with disabilities.

Many could not enroll because there ware no special arrangements for them in terms of teachers and physical facilities.

Education Minister George Saitoti said that Kshs. 76 million had been allocated for special education.

Each child with disability will get Kshs. 2,000 on top of the Kshs. 1, 020 allocated to each pupil by the Government and Donors.

Category: Policy , Education

<< Back to Policy | Back to Disability Kenya >>