Education stakeholders in Garissa are gunning for more socio-economic measures by the county led by Governor Nadhif Jamah to address discrimination meted on People living With Disabilities (PWDs).
Khalif Abdi Farah, a human right activist in Garissa, claims most people view PWDs as souls cursed by the Almighty Allah. Under such circumstances, Farah observes the PWDs miss their rightful place in society.
Confirming Farah’s claims Madam Habiba Aden, a prominent school head teacher at Shimbir School says most parents hesitate taking their kids living with disability to learning institutions.
“Even if the parents are brave and bold enough to take those living with physical disability, the limbs, to regular schools, such students will be open to constant ridicule, laughter and endless physical and psychological abuse,” she regretted, adding that, “besides the verbal tirade against the poor souls, others would even go as far as hiding their walking sticks as some imitate their walking style.”
Madam Habiba says whereas such mistreatment often crop from fellow students, some of their tutors who ought to know better aren’t free from blame as they graduate to similar intimidation.
“I was shocked to the bone marrow, when a tutor insulted a learner living with disability and accounted for his words by justifying: “you don’t know why Allah cursed him with disability.” Ironically the tutor further boldly prophesied the learner living with disability will be shipped to hell, on the judgment day.
Sadly, Habiba added, most folks in Garissa evade taking special education courses in fear of mingling and interacting with PWD thus behave like them.
And against that cruel background of the society living with such prophets from such self-declared agents of Allah, Garissa County Government isn’t sitting on its laurels to watch as things worsen with a fast growing population.
To this end, MS Ebla Minhajj- the County Executive Member (CEM) for Education has taken the bull by its horns by embarking on a mission to identify children living with disability of any kind. “With that done we are determined to see PWDs shipped to school,” notes Minhajj admitting that it is an elephantine task given the huge numbers coupled with many parents’ reluctance to cooperate.
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Quoting the adage: No weak heart ever won a fair lady,” she says they are out for it.
“With county budget not equal to the job, I call upon other stakeholders to chip in and make it a success” Ebla appealed.
“Its unfortunate many special schools are under enrolled yet those who ought to be attending them lie fallow and idle at home being denied their constitutional and human right.”
A survey by Education News reveals that many normal school age would-be learners are either herding livestock or doing other family chores while those living with disability are hidden not to expose and advertise adverse shame to the family.
“We are committed to ensure that all school age children must attend school, be they normal, having mental, hearing or whatever impairment, their challenges are our problem and we must address them, because living with disability isn’t inability,” Ebla sadly concluded.
The activists however lauded Governor Nadhif for meeting the gender parity threshold in county appointments, and further directing the Public Service Board to recruit more teachers with disabilities in the Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) sector.
By Amoto Ndiewo
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