Twenty year-old, Mutoni Uwase was left-handed right from childhood. As a child she did all activities with her left hand. But when she started school things changed.
Twenty year-old, Mutoni Uwase was left-handed right from childhood. As a child she did all activities with her left hand. But when she started school things changed. At the age of seven, Uwase’s Primary one teachers tried to force her to use her right hand despite being able to write with her left with ease.
"My first grip on the pencil was with the left arm. Using left was always okay for me. I was disturbed when teachers forced me to use the right hand,” Uwase explains.
Her teachers also claimed that unlike her right-handed classmates her left hand smudged the clean pages with graphite from the pencil, making marking very difficult.
While her left-handed colleagues adjusted to using the right hand comfortably, all Uwase’s efforts were unsuccessful. Luckily for her, teachers finally gave up on forcing her to use her right hand in Primary three.
Uwase’s case is a reflection of what children who are born left-handed go through. At home they are beaten or reprimanded for using left hand to do activities like lifting objectives or even greeting. Parents sometimes force their left-handed children to use the right hand, with some beating them up or depriving them of certain privileges until they learn using the right hand.
About 10 per cent of any population is born left-handed, but for long, executing duties using the left hand has been considered taboo and uncouth.
While attitudes are changing on this matter, the danger is that traces of such beliefs still linger within society, with left-handed pupils still being forced to use the ‘normal hand’. But is it right anyway?
A violation of rights
Joshua Tahinduka, the president of Toastmasters, a club that fosters leadership skills among the youth considers forcing left handed students to switch hands as a violation of their rights because there is nothing a right-handed person can do better than their colleagues who use left.
"Irrespective of the natural orientation, both left-handed and right handed people, when given tasks, are capable of delivering similar output,” says Tahinduka.
Slow learners?
Another issue left-handed people normally face is the claims that they are slow learners, a claim dismissed by Alex Mushumba, the headmaster of Remera Martyrs School.
"There is absolutely no evidence that left handed people are slow learners. It all depends on the training someone receives since childhood,” he adds.
Faustin Nizeyima, a left-handed mechanical engineer in Kigali notes that being left handed is not a disability, and it is wrong to force such children to use the right.
"Parents and teachers do it because of the assumption that only right- handed people have a good handwriting, and that they get the best grades in class while lefties perform poorly, which is not always the case,” says Nizeyimana.
Lack of suitable equipment
At school, left handed learners have to endure writing from tables only designed to suit the right-handed. For Odette Mujawamariya, the head teacher of École Primaire Remera Catholic, this is an act of injustice.
"It is important to understand that not all students are the same. There are those who are comfortable with both hands, but those who use either of the two should not be neglected. Special tables should be provided for left-handed ones,” explains Mujawamariya.
Out of the over 1000 pupils in her school, at least 50 are left handed.
Mushumba echoes the same view.
"Left handed learners find it hard writing from the right yet when you move around schools, it may be difficult to find desks specifically designed for left-handed students,” explains Mushumba.
Niyonkuru, a plumber at Welding, Electrical and Plumbing (WEP) a company that deals in plumbing services explains that the only challenge lefthanders face is keeping their grip on the pen.
"When you look closely at a left-handed person, it is very difficult for them to firmly grip a pen,” says Niyonkuru, adding that this problem can be overcome by providing more equipment specifically designed for the left-handed.
Education Ministry speaks out
According to officials, the Ministry of Education is aware of the challenges left-handed pupils face, and is putting some effort towards resolving them.
Speaking to The Education Times, the ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr Celestin Ntivuguruzwa said that:
"There is no specific policy on what hand a student uses to write, but after realising that lefthanders were being forced to switch to the right hand years ago, we told schools to stop that. The only thing we can now do is to provide facilitation for schools to provide the appropriate equipment for them.”
Studies on left-handed students
Several studies carried out on the challenges of left-handed pupils in school conclude that majority of woes for lefthanders rotate around poor handwriting, lack of enough space on desks and absence of left handed equipment.
One of the latest surveys by the Harvard school on left-handers’ school experience conducted in over 50 countries found that the overwhelming majority of lefthanders reported handwriting-related problems.
Some 83 per cent reported clashing elbows on desks but only 34 per cent of the total were allowed to move to another place after complaining that they were uncomfortable in those places.
Only 18 per cent of people were ever given a pen with a left-handed grip or nib and 26 per cent had ever used triangular grips to help their writing position and grip.
While those could be the main problems suffered by left-handed individuals, they are not the only problems.Dealing with low self esteem
Collins Barminga, a teacher of biology and chemistry at Mother Mary Complex in Kibagabaga points out another interesting element that left-handed students suffer.
"Left-handed students may develop low self esteem because most of the time, they are put on pressure to improve their handwriting,” says Barminga.
The other thing Barminga points out about lefthanders is that left-handed people experience nervousness when forced to change hands.
" Science has it that forcing left-handers to switch hands may result into nervousness which eventually affects the quality of writing,” he explains.
Uwase also shares Barminga’s thoughts saying that during her time at school writing on the black board for other students made her very nervous.
"It was quite difficult because when they forced me to write on the black board using the right hand, I ended up shaking and failing to write anything.’’
Many successful lefties
In spite of the many myths that surround left-handed students, especially regarding their intelligence, the fact is that some of the most intelligent people around the world are lefties.
According to Mr Barminga, "Many left handed people are perceived to be talented and intelligent in nature for example the likes of Barack Obama and Uhuru Kenyatta.”
Other famous lefties include scientist Albert Einstein, entertainers Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Justin Bieber, Eminem, Lady Gaga; politicians Bill Clinton and George Bush; talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, and footballers Diego Maradona and Pele to mention but a few.
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Should left-handed pupils be forced to use the right hand?
Shema Divin, left handed student
It feels bad when someone forces you to use the right hand. This is how God created us and forcing as means going against his will. I have met many left handed people and all of them are intelligent so I don’t see the reason why we should be forced to switch hands. People should instead be supportive.
Simon Kwizera, a parent from Remera
Although some left-handed students have bad handwriting, they should be helped to improve it rather than be forced to change. Besides, parents should try to help their children when still young to get used to the right hand and if they can’t, they should encourage them to continue with the left hand.
Benjamin Mugisha, S3 student at Mother Mary Complex
Being left-handed is not being handicapped, why should one be forced to change? It’s not good to force one to change from what they are comfortable with because change always comes with difficulties. This may also affect one’s academic performance because of the time they take to adjust to the right hand.
Carine Uwineza, S3 student
This kind of pressure on left handed students makes other students think being left handed is a problem. While someone is trying to fight the left hand, it may instead mean that other students will resort to strategies of not associating freely with fellows who are left handed.
Sheila Wamboi, a left-handed teacher
Left-handed children are able to perform all functions like the right-handed people. The moment you force them to change to right, you generate confusion. Parents should encourage their children to use the hand they find comfortable.
Compiled By Lydia Atieno