Kenya’s Special Needs Education Policy for Education Enhancement: A Dichotomy

Kenya has made great steps towards the provision of Free Primary Education (FPE)  since it was launched 15 years ago. The number of enrolled pupils in primary schools has increased tremendously since the FPE was initiated and even the numbers are more sustained compared to the drop-out rates and out of school numbers that were reported before the FPE. The government has continued to invest in resources for schools and train teachers to be well equipped to teach pupils in school. In 2013, one of the campaign pledges for the winning party was to provide laptop computers to every class one pupil across the country. In 2017, the same party boasted to have provided the laptop computers to all primary schools and also claimed to have connected almost all primary schools to electricity.

While all these milestones may have been achieved in the last 15 years, there still remains a huge gap in the provision of education for pupils with special educational needs. The National Special Needs Education Policy was launched in 2009 by the Ministry of Education to act as a framework for stakeholders in the provision of education. In this policy, Special Needs Education was defined as “education which provides appropriate modification in curriculum delivery methods, educational resources, medium of communication or the learning environment in order to cater for individual differences in learning.” From this definition, there was no clear separation of the special needs as a result of learning difficulties due to the general learning conditions in school and special needs caused by physical, physiological, mental, and social differences that some pupils are exposed to. These two contrasting needs should be addressed differently if the intention for special education needs, and indeed, special needs education, is to be met. The policy also emphasizes the aspect of “regular schools” in which people living with disabilities might be integrated while learning.

A girl with disability in a regular class. Photo courtesy: Google Images

Whereas learners with disabilities and special needs need not be segregated, there is need to appreciate that such learners are able to grasp things better in an environment that is specially designed for their specific needs. 

Recognizing that learners with learning difficulties such as autistic children, those with down syndrome, cerebral palsy could have a need for special education could help in providing the resources to meet such needs. It should be appreciated that what learners with loco-motor impairment, maladjusted children, and handicapped children is special needs education. Such learners can be integrated with other gifted and talented learners in public schools.

Integrating them in “regular schools” could be a good starting point to empower them, but the burden is on all stakeholders led by the Ministry of Education to ensure that the environment and infrastructure in “regular schools” are designed to meet the needs of such learners. The need also to specify the nature of needs is key to channeling the limited resources to deserving people. It would be insensitive to lump together learners with learning difficulties with those that require special learning environment due to their physical or mental status.

As a learner who went through “regular schools” from primary to the university with a disability, I now know that there is a clear dichotomy in terms of special needs for learners in primary schools. The attempt to lump together the "special needs" and "special education" for learners with disabilities has tended to slow down the pace towards access to quality education for people with disabilities. Ensuring that the teacher-pupil ratio is sustained at international standards and provision of text books can go a long way in helping learners with learning difficulties to excel in their learning; but physical, mental, and physiological disabilities require more specialized attention in order to meet the real needs of learners in this category, just the same way learners with developmental challenges like autism and .

Providing quality education to all its citizen is a solemn duty that every government must fulfill. But this cannot be fulfilled if a crucial section of the society is left behind. The campaign for girl-child education has gained traction from all corners and still there is room for improvement owing to the disproportionate representation of girls in schools. These challenges can be compounded where the learner with disability is a girl.

Thus, similar traction which has led to tremendous steps made in achieving gender equality in education, can be ignited for learners with special needs spread across the country. There needs to be a clear cut provision for special education needs and special needs education-two concepts that have been used interchangeably, though they represent a clear separation in terms of infrastructural and curriculum needs for learners. Inclusive education, and indeed, Education for All, should and ought to mean that both special needs education and special education needs are provided in an integrated environment that not only celebrates but empowers those differences.

Stakeholders in the education sector in Kenya can help to provide equal opportunity for learners with disabilities by ensuring access and equity to education for all, enhancing the quality and relevance of education (it means that special needs education should be provided alongside special education needs) and advocate for stoppage to stigma and discrimination against learners with disabilities.

Moreover, the implementation of Special Needs Education Policy should foster in the concept of culture and taboos which are a big impediment to effort to achieve equal access to Education for All. Learners with disabilities are also likely to be disproportionately affected by poverty which impedes their access to education. Creating a scholarship fund for learners with disability (indeed there are quite a number that specifically target girls) can go a long way in addressing the issue of poverty which promotes a skewed representation of people with disabilities at the very foundational level of primary education.