NUDOR roots for quality education for the disabled

The National Union of Disabilities Organisations in Rwanda (Nudor) has called on government to urgently improve the quality of education for children with disabilities.Dominique Bizimana, the Nudor president, who was yesterday speaking at a workshop to discuss access to quality education for children and youth with disabilities, said challenges force many disabled children to remain dependent.“The problems people with disabilities are facing are because they lack basic education. Much has been done but we still have a long way to go,” said Bizimana.“People with disability can be helped in various ways such as getting shelter, clothes yet without education nothing can serve, what we need is more education than anything else,” he added.The three-day workshop, which opened in Musanze district, yesterday, is meant to find ways to improve the quality of education for such people while alleviating the barriers they meet.Participants said there is no need to have special schools for people with disability as Rwanda promotes education for-all, but urged for appropriate infrastructure to be put in place.Low percentageOfficials said education for people with disabilities stands at one per cent in Rwanda, while the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation put the number at between 3 and 4 per cent. Janvier Gasana, the deputy director-general of quality and standards in the Rwanda Education Board, said the Ministry of Education is committed to improving the quality of education for people with disability.“In our poverty reduction strategies, no one will be left behind. This year, we have revised and updated education plan and one of the criteria is special needs education,” said Gasana, citing special needs teachers and infrastructure.Gasana said teachers are regularly trained in special needs education and that the grassroots people are being consulted regularly for views on how to improve the sector education.Pia Ahlin, a special needs teacher in Sweden and one of participants at the workshop, said Rwanda has done a lot but still needs to improve.