The Rwandan government plans to invest Rwf24.8 billion by 2029 to boost access to education for children with disabilities through the establishment of special needs schools, resource and assessment centres, and expanded inclusive education. The largest share of the investment, Rwf18.66 billion, will fund the establishment of five special schools, one in each province and the City of Kigali, to support children with autism and other cognitive disabilities. ALSO READ: Over 900 candidates with disabilities sit Primary Leaving Exams Annual funding is projected to increase from Rwf1.08 billion in 2025/26 to Rwf6.51 billion in 2028/29. An additional Rwf3.75 billion has been allocated for the construction and equipping of 20 resource and assessment centres, while Rwf2.40 billion will support inclusive education for children with disabilities and those with special educational needs. The plan was outlined by Irene Muyizere, Director of the Special Needs and Inclusion Unit at the Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB), while responding to findings from a study on the status of disability-inclusive pre-primary education in Rwanda, released on Wednesday, July 15. The study, conducted by the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF) in partnership with CLADHO, a consortium of human rights organisations, examined enrolment trends, policy frameworks, teaching practices, learning materials, physical accessibility, and barriers affecting disability-inclusive pre-primary education. ALSO READ: Disability enrolment rises but access challenges remain About 4.4 per cent of Rwanda's population aged five and above has a disability. About 39,000 of the country's 4.16 million learners, or 0.9 per cent, are recorded as having a disability. Inclusion at the pre-primary level remains below one per cent, leaving many children excluded from the stage of education that is critical for cognitive, social, and emotional development. This means that the overwhelming majority of children with disabilities are excluded from the very stage of education most critical to them for laying the foundations of their learning, socialisation, and long‑term participation. ALSO READ: National exams: How learners with disabilities get extra support “The invisibility of children with disabilities in pre‑primary enrolment data is not merely a statistical gap but a reflection of systemic exclusion,” the report authors argue. “Barriers to the education of children with disabilities exist on both the supply and demand side. These include the delayed or missed identification of developmental delays, the presence of stigma at the household and community levels, inadequately adapted infrastructure and learning materials, and limited teacher training in inclusive pedagogy.” Families of children with disabilities often face additional economic burdens, such as transport costs or therapy fees, which further reduce the likelihood of enrolment. ALSO READ: Priority for children with disabilities As a result, the study found that children with disabilities are disproportionately denied the developmental, cognitive, and social benefits of early learning – all of which reinforces cycles of marginalisation that persist into primary and secondary education. Many children with disabilities, especially in rural areas, do not attend school due to the lack of disability-friendly infrastructure and early identification, assessment and referral services. The national plan aims to increase the number of children with disabilities enrolled in primary schools from 31,751 in 2023/24 to 80,323 by 2028/29, alongside improvements in learning environments and reductions in dropout and repetition rates. The study shows us the progress and gaps we have to fix. That is why an assessment and identification of sites, teachers, staff, dedicated infrastructure, teaching and learning materials to host five schools that will teach and accommodate children with autism and other severe intellectual disabilities is going on, Muyizere said. He said three schools will be operational in the next two years, while another two will be established later. The schools will accommodate these children but they must be close to schools which have children without disabilities. The schools will also have health care services for these children. There will be selection based on each child's level of disabilities and the school fees will be subsidised by government, he said. Muyizere added that reducing fees in private inclusive schools would require government subsidies for teachers' salaries. ALSO READ: Activists push for subsidised education for autistic children He said children with severe autism spectrum disorders would attend specialised schools, while those with milder autism or other disabilities would be supported in inclusive schools through resource rooms, teacher training, and assistive technologies such as sign language, Braille, and inclusive ICT tools. We have trained over 4,000 teachers in early identification and assessment of children with disabilities to facilitate timely interventions and better planning, Muyizere said. The proportion of inclusive pre-primary schools increased from 5.7 per cent in 2017 to 66 per cent in 2024/25, while enrolment of children with disabilities in ECD centres more than doubled, rising from 1,362 to 3,125 over the same period. Need to address persistent challenges Despite ongoing efforts, stakeholders said significant challenges remain. Theoneste Murangira, Chairperson of CLADHO, said major challenges include inadequate teacher training in inclusive pedagogy, limited access to assistive devices, inaccessible infrastructure, persistent community stigma, and weak coordination between the education, health, and social protection sectors. ALSO READ: Rwanda avails digital textbooks for learners with disabilities Local government officials pledged to expand access to Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres for children with disabilities. Martine Urujeni, Vice Mayor in charge of Socio-Economic Affairs in the City of Kigali, said quality pre-primary education provides the foundation for lifelong learning and that ensuring equal access for children with disabilities is both an educational priority and a matter of equity, human rights, and sustainable development. She noted that many children still face barriers related to accessibility, early identification, inclusive learning environments, and negative social attitudes. Prof. Evariste Karangwa, Dean of the School of Inclusive and Special Needs Education at the University of Rwanda, said teacher preparedness remains a major challenge. “Teachers and caregivers are often not qualified to cater for children with disabilities,” Karangwa said. “Overcrowded classrooms make the situation even worse. There is hardly any screening for children with disabilities to enable the early identification of special educational needs in ECD settings.”
