Overview:
Last year, Arua Demonstration School registered six learners with special needs for Primary Leaving Examinations. One of them, Bonface Alema, scored an aggregate 11, becoming one of only two candidates in Division One at the school.
Managing Special Needs Education (SNE) at Arua Demonstration School in Arua city has become increasingly difficult due to a shortage of trained teachers, inadequate specialised equipment, and infrastructure that does not adequately support learners with disabilities.
Administrators say only four trained teachers are currently available to manage 27 learners with special needs, following the retirement of one teacher and the passing of another. The school head teacher, Jane Candiru, said these challenges are affecting the management of the SNE department and appealed for support from stakeholders to ensure that the learners feel comfortable while studying.
Inclusive education remains a core focus at Arua Demonstration School, which caters to learners with different categories of disabilities, including visual, hearing, and physical impairments. However, the school administration notes that many of these learners lack the equipment necessary to support effective learning.
Candiru revealed that out of six braille machines received from the government, only three are currently functional after the others broke down, and the school lacks a technician to repair them. Observations around the school also indicated an uneven compound and a lack of proper ramps to enable learners with special needs to move easily and access classrooms.
Braille books aligned with the new curriculum are also lacking.In response to these gaps, the school received assorted equipment from partners at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School through Sight for Africa, a local organisation operating in West Nile.
Robinson Afema, the Chief Executive Officer of Sight for Africa, said the school supports children with disabilities not only from Uganda but also from neighbouring countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, including those in refugee settlements across the region.
Among the items donated were white canes, braille paper, braille books, play materials for lear,ners and sanitary towels for girls, among others. The Director of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Suzanne Freitag, commended the school administration and Sight for Africa for their coordination in ensuring that support is extended to learners with special needs.
Meanwhile, Ayivu Division Mayor, Malon Avutia, said the government is committed to addressing these challenges in a phased manner, noting that several priority areas require intervention.
Last year, Arua Demonstration School registered six learners with special needs for Primary Leaving Examinations. One of them, Bonface Alema, scored an aggregate 11, becoming one of only two candidates in Division One at the school.
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