HUYE - Students from the Butare based school for special needs children  (dumb and deaf) who completed primary education last year are stranded because no school is ready to admit them, an official from the school has revealed.

Speaking during a district education meeting last Tuesday, Brother Jean Marie Nzohabonaye said that 9 students completed primary six at the nearby Ngoma primary school but they have not continued to secondary school.

"We have been taking our students to Gatagara Secondary School but unfortunately the school chose not to admit students with disabilities this academic year. The students are stranded, they have no where to go,” said Nzohabonaye in an appeal to district authorities for assistance.

"We thought of sending our students to special needs schools in Nyanza, Nyamirambo and Rwamagana but they too did not receive these students.”

According to Brother Kizito Misago, the director of Gatagara secondary school, his institution had decided not to admit students with special needs this year.

"We did not admit students with special needs following a new directive from the board, such students were instead referred to schools in Nyanza and Rwamagana,” he said.

The Butare based school for children with special needs currently has 155 students, according to Nzohabonaye. He added that there is need for additional  infrastructure specifically tailored towards the needy  if the school is to look after all its current population.

The district Mayor, Francois Uhagaze promised to look into the problem after consulting other concerned authorities.
The district education meeting also tackled the issue of classroom construction under the 9-year basic education programme where it was realised that most of the construction work is yet to be completed.

Ends