What is being done to improve access to inclusive education?

Going to school is still a challenge for many children with disabilities in Rwanda. They face bullying, inaccessible classrooms, and a shortage of teachers trained to support them. As the country marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, under the theme “Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress,” access to education is expanding. There are five specialised boarding schools for children with severe and multiple disabilities, along with other programmes that give neurodivergent learners (children with different learning or developmental needs) spaces to explore, play, and learn in ways that suit them. ALSO READ: Shortage of trained teachers, stigma hinder inclusive education in Rwanda The government plans to upgrade existing schools across five districts to serve students with severe, multiple, and intellectual disabilities, and they will operate as boarding facilities to accommodate children coming from different parts of the country, according to Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB). ALSO READ: Four things to know about Rwanda’s new special needs schools’ project We are not necessarily constructing new schools. We can take an existing one and upgrade it, Flora Mutezigaju, Deputy Director General of REB told The New Times. For example, in Kigali, we are exploring a school in Gikondo. We will assess whether to build or improve the existing facility, she said. Mutezigaju said the schools will use a reverse inclusion model, and are designed mainly for children with disabilities but will also admit nearby children without disabilities as day scholars, keeping the schools connected to their communities. The official noted that Rwanda has trained many teachers in inclusive education, though the number is still insufficient, adding that every school now has at least one teacher who is an inclusive education focal teacher. “They have been trained on inclusive education principles, but there is still stigma from the students, and even the teachers,” Mutezigaju said. She noted that changing mindsets is a slow process, and to address this, the Ministry of Education includes training and awareness initiatives on in its annual budget, aiming to change attitudes toward disability and promote acceptance in schools. Mutezigaju added that progress is being tracked, with figures on trained and paid teachers recorded in the official Education Statistical Yearbook. The information is also published online in the section covering special needs and inclusive education. “Supporting inclusive education is not the responsibility of teachers alone; everyone has a part to contribute. The Ministry of Education provides policies, teacher training, and awareness initiatives, but parents, communities, local governments, and partners like the National Council of Persons with Disabilities also help to mobilization and support for inclusive education,” Mutezigaju said. She added that these efforts operate across multiple levels, from policy development and teacher training to providing accessible learning materials, ensuring schools and communities are equipped to include children with disabilities. A new community library in Kibagabaga is giving children aged six to 14 a place to learn in ways that suit their abilities. The Bookworm Club offers fiction books, Montessori learning materials, interactive games, and activities that help children to develop fine motor, problem-solving, and thinking skills. Oge Obasi, founder of the club, said that she created the space after noticing that older children have less opportunities for learning through play. “While there are unlimited opportunities for learning through play for children aged zero to five, there isn’t much for the children between ages six to 14,” she said. Obasi noted the library was inspired by concerns about gaps in inclusive education, especially for neurodivergent learners. “I observed a lack of curiosity and imagination in learning, which makes it even harder for neurodivergent children to explore their interests. When they don’t perform like their neurotypical peers, it appears as if they are intellectually deficient or unable to learn,” she said. Obasi added that many of these children learn best through audio, visual, or kinesthetic (movement-based) ways, and that other kinds of learning kick in, even before academic learning. She aims to help families understand these strengths and to support teachers who may have some awareness but don’t know what to do on a day-to-day basis. “The government has strong policies, but the challenge is putting them into practice every day, at the human level. This cannot fall on the government alone, I am doing my part to raise awareness and acceptance, first through the Bookworm Club, and also through AFRICA FOR AUTISM, which will use film to show these issues, break down barriers, and promote inclusion,” she said. Challenges “Children with disabilities are seen as a source of shame. At school and in their communities, they face bullying, exclusion from games, and rejection by their peers,” said Noella Kabarungi, Senior Education Technical Specialist at Save the Children, Rwanda. Physical barriers are keeping children with disabilities from fully participating in school. Many older buildings have high desks, no ramps, and toilets that are difficult to access. According to the 2023/24 education statistical yearbook, only 45.7 percent of schools have toilets accessible to learners with disabilities. Kabarungi noted that schools face a shortage of teachers trained in special needs education. About 15 percent of teachers have the necessary training, and very few know Braille, sign language, or how to help children move safely around the classroom. “Many schools do not have tactile books, hearing aids, or learning materials that meet children’s needs,” Kabarungi said. Progress She explained that some programmes are starting to show results, for example, Save the Children’s “Zero Out-of-School Children” project, which is reaching more than 177,000 children, including those with disabilities, by addressing financial, social, and physical barriers to education. “The project has trained school committees to identify learning needs and provide tailored support. REB and its partners have trained 560 teachers in inclusive education and 1,400 in sign language. Inclusive early childhood development centres (ECDs) now offer improved infrastructure, learning materials, and caregiver support. “Community initiatives such as Inclusive Rwanda and Chance for Childhood are running awareness campaigns and providing families with sign language training, helping children take part fully in school and community activities,” Kabarungi noted. She added that schools still face gaps in meeting the needs of children with disabilities, explaining that more teachers need training on methods that support these children, and more specialised schools are required to support those with complicated disabilities. Kabarungi explained that schools need better infrastructure, and many children still lack the assistive tools they need to learn, adding that communities must change how they see children with disabilities so they are welcomed and given a chance to succeed.

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What is being done to improve access to inclusive education?