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Disability
is not Inability |
:: Disability and average performance...
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one
The research is a collection of findings carried out by the education
ministry, the Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) and Special
Needs Education Departments (Needs of the Visually Impaired learners).
Currently, according to the KIE report, 15 out
of the 23 blind students have been pressing for university registration
since the academic year 2000.
Their average performance, according to the national
examination council results, is 2.09 points.
Yet, as the minister confirmed, the lowest point
for a student to get a government scholarship has never been below
2.4 for students who pursue sciences and never been below 5points
for art subjects.
Repeated classes...
According to the study, Nibyobyiza Floride, one
of the students, got 1.5 points. He started secondary school in
1997 and finished secondary school last academic year.
He repeated classes six times to reach senior
six to sit for the final examination. There are other students
who finally got certificates, but after having repeated more than
twice. Despite the fact they got the overall pass mark, they are
not eligible for government scholarships.
Not only are the students impaired, almost all
have financial difficulties and cannot pay for their tuition fees.
The research says children with disabilities
include unsupported children, children from minority groups, children
with social and emotional difficulties and all other groups with
other educational barriers like HIV/Aids and other chronic illnesses.
Children with learning achievement disorders are
also regarded as disabled, the minister said.
216 of the 256 are deaf physicaly or visually
impaired...
Consequently, the minister ordered 256 students, who have been
at home crying for education, to start schooling the next academic
year. Two hundred and sixteen (216)
students among the 256 are physically and visually disabled and
deaf as well.
Two hundred and sixteen are from HVP Groupe Scholaire
Butare (Butare) and the remaining forty are Groupe Scholaire Gahini
(Umutara).
At present, there are about 1641 students with
disabilities in school. The majority are deaf and others have
learning disabilities and visual impairment. Though
the minister gave an order to enroll the students, institutions
are worried about how they will handle the students.
The long serving rector of KIE, Emanuel Mudidi,
strongly suggested that the issue of the students with disabilities
be centralized. “They need special attention and need to
get the means they require,” he said.
Continued on page
three
Written by MAGNUS K MAZIMAPAKA
May 29, 2007 at 10:45 AM
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