As stated in the 2007 Education for all policy (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) the Tanzanian government are committed to providing education to all children irrespective of gender, physical condition, social status or disability. This implies that children with various ailments including albinism, hearing, dyslexia, or other impairments are entitled to a good education. However, not all children are receiving the education they deserve. There are numerous factors contributing to this; according to a teacher in Sengerem (2006 Sumra), “Most parents have negative attitudes towards children with disabilities. They believe they there is no need to send children with disabilities to schools as they will not learn”. Furthermore, “there are very few facilities and teachers who can teach these children”. According to Sumra (2006) the resources provided to special needs schools are inadequate. Additionally, of the 14 thousand schools in Tanzania only 176 schools have the facilities to educate children with special needs. In conclusion it could be interpreted that a lot more needs to be done to ensure children with disabilities receive an education, furthermore, it seems parents need to be educated in regards to their own child’s and others disabilities to eliminate their negative perceptions.

 

By Elisha Majer

 

References

 

Diva-portal.org, (2014). Education For All; Education International's Response to the Global Monitoring Approach. [online] Available at: http://download.ei-ie.org/docs/IRISDocuments/EI%20Publications/Other%20Publications/2008-00169-01-E.pdf. [Accessed 7 Dec. 2014].

Sumra, S. (2006). Every Child Needs an Effective Teacher: What Teacher's, Parents and Children say on the Issue. ActionAid International Tanzania & Tanzania Teachers Union, pp.21 -25.