Ndalichako clears the air on challenges facing special education teachers

Morogoro. The provision of education to children with special needs faces a lot of challenges including poor and unfriendly infrastructures, a situation that thwarts the teachers’ goals.

This was said today here by a representative of teachers of children with mental disability and autism, Ms Mariam Halfani, during a training seminar for the teachers.

The seminar was on the guideline about how to teach lessons on communication, health, math skills, upbringing, physical training and craftsmanship.

Ms Halfani explained that teaching children with special needs required friendly infrastructures including proper teaching aids and conducive environment to teachers.

She requested the government to improve the environment including by providing teaching and learning aids and constructing teaching centres for such children.

Responding, the Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Joyce Ndalichako, said government has already started to better teaching environment for effective provision of education to such children.

She also said the government had already carried out a feasibility study at schools for children with special needs, with the aim of improving teaching environments and infrastructures.

Besides, she said the government had already bought teaching aids worth Sh3.6 million for such children, adding that the facilities have already been distributed to 213 primary and 22 secondary schools across the country.

The minister further said that the government had purchased and distributed mental assessment equipment with the aim of identifying such children as early as possible and providing medical care for those with treatable disability.