Educationists say that there is a need for new investments and measures to ensure children with disabilities are well integrated into the education system.
The need was expressed during the recent celebration of the success of the USAID’s ‘Mureke Dusome’ activity to support children to learn to read.
Over 900,000 children have participated in reading activities in their communities under the programme of which, in 2020, this number included 3,600 children with disabilities.
According to the Fourth Rwanda Population and Housing Census (2012 RPHC) report, there are 446,453 PwDs in Rwanda. Of these, 221,150 are male and 225,303 are female.
Children are encouraged to read on their own.
Approximately 20 per cent (87,900) of the population of persons with disabilities are children between the ages of five and 18.
However, a few of them manage to go to school and learn to read due to different challenges.
A symbolic example indicates that in 2018, there were 17,133 pupils with disabilities in primary schools, and 4,202 students with disabilities in secondary schools, according to the Rwanda Statistical Yearbook 2019 produced by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda.
In December 2020, Members of Parliament (MPs) poked holes in education for children with disabilities, indicating that there is no single public school to cater to special academic needs for such children.
The project included reading and illustration
When Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente was, on December 1, 2020, presenting the government’s activities in the education sector to the bicameral parliament, he said government has been supporting private schools that offer education to children with disabilities, indicating that there are seven schools that receive such children for primary and secondary education levels.
However, he said, the government would consider the idea of having public schools for children with disabilities.
The 2020 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Global Education Monitoring Report findings on children with disabilities indicates that children and youth with disabilities are considered among the most marginalised, excluded people in the world, and are 2.5 times more likely to never attend school in their lifetime than children without disabilities. And that the global pandemic has made things worse.
Children are taken through the illustrations in a book.
During its first peak, 1.6 billion children were out of school, including almost 50 per cent of children with disabilities.
Minister of State in charge of Primary and Secondary Education, Gaspard Twagirayezu, commends different initiatives including those of development partners, non-governmental organisations and private sector that are playing their role in fixing gap in inclusive education.
"We appreciate the ongoing contributions of the United States to support all children to read. We encourage every community to sustain reading clubs so that children continue to have opportunities to practice reading outside of school. We also encourage every parent to talk and read with their children,” he said.
Community support for children’s learning
Since 2016, USAID has been partnering with the Government of Rwanda to strengthen family and community support for children’s learning, and promote a culture of reading through the USAID’s ‘Mureke Dusome’ activity.
The activity is implemented by Save the Children Rwanda, alongside local organisations, Umuhuza, Uwezo Youth Empowerment, Urunana DC, and RWAMREC.
Over 9,000 children participated in reading activities in their communities.
At least 2500 children’s reading clubs have been established in communities in all 30 districts under the initiative.
Reading clubs are opportunities for children to practice and enjoy reading storybooks outside of school.
Acting Mission Director for USAID/Rwanda, William Hansen, recognised the strong partnership between the Ministry of Education and the Government of the United States to ensure that children master foundational reading skills.
"Literacy is foundational for success in school. USAID is looking forward to continued partnership with the Government of Rwanda to sustain literacy promotion and improved learning,” he said.
The reading clubs have been supplied with 430,000 locally produced Kinyarwanda storybooks and 135,890 copies of Karame children’s magazine.
The project also empowered 4.5 million parents and caregivers with information about how they could support their children’s learning.
Before the activity, 51 per cent of parents believed that schools are entirely responsible for teaching their children how to read.
However, today an assessment shows that 72 per cent of parents understand this, and are supporting children at home. As more children practice reading, their performance in school is improving.
""In reality, families can talk, sing, and read books with their children, and this engagement supports children to learn to read,” he said.