Schools for the deaf hit by teacher shortage

Kenya Society for the Deaf has called on the government to increase the number of teachers posted to special needs schools.

Mr
Francis Ng’ang’a, the society’s national chairman said the ratio of
teacher to child in schools for the deaf is 1 to 24 against the
recommended fraction of 1 to 12.

This, he said, has affected the quality of education in the schools.

MATIANG’I

“We
lack enough teachers and in many instances a class of 30 children only
has a single teacher,” Mr Ng’ang’a said on Thursday at the Bible House
in Nairobi where he was flanked by the society’s director Mr Kathenya
Makarius.

The former Kenya National Union of Teachers
(KNUT) secretary general also urged Education acting Cabinet Secretary
Fred Matiang’i to ensure funds for special needs schools were disbursed
on time.

Mr Ng’ang’a decried the low number of children with hearing disabilities in special needs schools in the country.

He
said most of them do not get the opportunity to go to school either
because their parents are poor or have them stay at home to avoid
stigmatization.

SPECIAL SCHOOLS

“We
urge the government to help ensure that all the deaf children go to
school because currently only a few attend special schools across the
country,” said Mr Ng’ang’a.

He said there are only about 12, 000 deaf children in 118 special needs schools, from primary to tertiary level in Kenya.

He also mentioned the lack of learning materials as another issue affecting special schools.

“Hearing devices are not seen as a necessity,” he said.

At the same time, the society disbursed Sh750, 000 to 80 special needs students.