Some 2,000 deaf and blind secondary school learners will benefit from stationery, masks, and mentorship programs for smooth learning during Covid-19.
Learners from Thika School for the blind and Kambui School for the deaf in Kiambu County, Kibos School for the blind and Fr Oudera School for the deaf in Kisumu County will receive braille papers, workbooks, and stationery until February.
Dubbed the Rising Stars Project, the initiative by the Chevening Kenya Alumni Association on Tuesday started distributing the material aimed at promoting equality among all Kenyan learners.
“Most school programs are not tailored to young people living with a disability. The mentorship programs are instrumental in assisting learners living with disability smoothly transition to adulthood,” the association said.
Statistics indicate that one in every 10 Kenyans below the age of 21, mostly those of school-going age, is disabled.
According to the Special Schools Heads Association of Kenya (SSHAK), some 100, 000 children with disability are out of school every year.
Following this, the association says the situation among learners living with disabilities is dire, thus indicating an urgent need to invest more in education for such learners.
Currently, many donors have pulled out because of the Covid-19 economic effects and left such schools on their own.
Further, there is limited government support for such institutions according to the alumni.
“A learner in a special school pays up to Sh 10,000 per term yet, a ream of braille photocopy papers costs between Sh 6000 and 9000. This means that one learner’s fee is only capable of buying a ream of papers,” Jane Gitau, the association chair said.
The chair asserted that despite the virus affecting all learners, it has hit learners living with disabilities hardest.
The association has thus called on the state and donors to support such learners to promote inclusive education for those living with disabilities.
According to the United Nations, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on learners with disabilities who were already experiencing social and educational disadvantage pre-covid.
