By Christian Foday Sesay Jr. PV Correspondent, Texas.
Yesterday, the civil war was here and today it is gone. Praise God! But, like the stinging of a snake, its venom left behind a painful sore -Ouch! It hurts. It interrupted the education of children and youth and left many of them disabled, separated from their families, or orphaned.
Significant numbers of children were actively recruited as participants in the conflict and now, after being used and abused, are left to go through the excruciating trauma all alone-and as usual, they are not getting the kind of attention that will rebuild them and make a difference in their lives.
Past and present governments reportedly sent majority of these children who had lost limbs or were blind to amputee or special schools all over the country. These schools have traditionally catered for all those considered to be outside mainstream education. However, what the system failed to address and continues to conceal under the carpet is the introduction of an adequate provision which will guarantee that the needs of every student with special needs are being met in our school systems particularly children capable of attending mainstream schools. It is based on this premise that I write to make a case for an inclusion of our special student population in Sierra Leone.
The expression "special educational needs" can be described as children having learning difficulties, or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age. These children may need extra or different help from that given to other children of the same age. Children with special educational needs may need extra help because of a range of needs, such as thinking and understanding, physical or sensory difficulties, emotional and behavioural difficulties, or difficulties with speech and language or how they relate to and behave towards other people.
From Europe to Asia, North America to the South, the latest approach of providing education to special needs children is through inclusion. The goal of inclusive education is to have students of various levels of disabilities to be an integral part of the learning environment in the general education classroom based on the level of severity of their disabilities, and to do so in a way that enriches all members of the community.
Inclusive classrooms allow children with disabilities to partake in class and extramural activities, and learn with and make friends with their peers. It is believed that all students need to be a part of this educational attachment.
Conventional wisdom has it that “Children that learn together, learn to live together”. Educational Inclusion is recognizing that we are "one" even though we are not the "same". The practice of inclusion means fighting against segregation and the entire social syndrome it gives birth to. Inclusive education means that all students in a school, regardless of their strengths or weaknesses in any area, become part of the school community. They are included in the feeling of belonging among other students, teachers, and support staff.
The academic arena is where students begin to refine the roles they will play in the adult community. We cannot expect disabled students to learn and practice these roles separate from their peers and then later be assimilated into the adult workplace and societal community. If the next generation of Sierra Leonean youths is to be productive members in their society, as is envisaged by the present ruling APC government, it must begin to show in their classrooms now.
If I may turn back the hands of time to the 11-year long civil war, the atrocities committed against women and children were as outrageous as they are complex. Now, based on researches and reports from humanitarian organizations as well as other relief agencies, an argument can be proffered that the nation is seeing an alarming increase in various types of disabilities that may qualify children for special education programs which include specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, multiple disabilities, hearing impairments, orthopedic impairments, visual impairments, autism, combined deafness and blindness, dyslexia, and other health impairments.
For far too long, we have shown this segment of our population nothing but disdain and stigmatization. On the streets of Freetown and else were in the country, we call them names-names that they don’t deserve when we should be their brother’s keepers. In the process, we mentally diagnosed them instead of helping them. We sometimes go to the extent of wrongly attributing causes for their conditions and tag them with illnesses instead of loving them.
There is a very high level of intolerance, homophobia, insensitivity and stigmatization within the Sierra Leone culture for this population.
Our very attitude towards this group of people is one of the factors that force them to avoid active participation in the life of their communities. The stigmatized are ostracized, devalued, rejected, scorned and shunned. They experience discrimination, insults, and sometimes attacks. Those who perceive themselves to be members of a stigmatized group, whether it is obvious to those around them or not, often experience psychological distress and many view themselves contemptuously. The experience of being stigmatized may take a toll on self-esteem, academic achievement, and other outcomes.
All through the years, the educational system in Sierra Leone has undeniably taken a modest but systemic approach in ensuring that provisions are made for certain categories of disabilities such as the blind, the deaf and lately, the amputees -a credit to the education ministry, UNDP, UNICEF and other Non-governmental organizations. What is missing though is an aggressive policy that will successfully include the needs of other disabilities such as mental retardation, mild autism, ADHD, speech or language impairment, emotional disturbance to name a few in our school systems.
According to the mission and vision of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in Sierra Leone as is highlighted in its most recent educational outline, written by a group of educationists under the guidance of Dr Alpha Wurie, titled, “ Road Map to a Better Future 2007-2015”, it is their goal to have an education system that provides for and meets the needs of the society, whilst recognizing the rights of all and ensuring the provision of opportunities for each individual to realize his/her educational potential and to contribute to the development of his community and hence the nation. Whilst laudable provisions were made in the document towards assisting special needs education, yet the structures upon which some of those provisions could flourish are absent. What is seen here is that whilst words are easier to coin and turned into strategic goals, it is the implementation stage which seals the deal. Without any iota of doubt, this 160 page long document is very resourceful. However, the real challenge brings a question to mind: How do we make it work so that children with learning disabilities will coexist with their normal peers?
Today, many young people are illiterate and have no employment skills and largely no work experience. Youth unemployment and underemployment is a key priority for both young people themselves and for the APC Government of Sierra Leone. As a result of the consequences of the civil war on the children and youth population, it is worth cautioning that this phenomenon will only get worse if proactive measures are not taken now. But let me hasten to point out that actions ought not to be centered just on the able-bodied children but on needy children as well.
One way to help them is by emphasizing on early identification of a child with special needs. This is an important element since early intervention is essential in educating children with disabilities because it serves as a catalyst through which individualized educational plans will be designed for them. Also, the provisions of special needs equipment and training teachers for special needs students is paramount in ensuring the success of inclusion as a viable approach in special education.
The benefits of inclusive education are numerous for both students with and without disabilities and cannot be understated. In the case of the former, inclusive education will increase social initiations, relationships and networks and ensure peer role models for academic, social and behavior skills. It will also allow greater access to general curriculum thereby enhancing their skills acquisition and generalization. This acquisition of skills is crucial in ensuring that they turn their backs on some parasitic tendencies such as street begging in the society and hopefully become productive citizens.
As for their nondisabled peers, increased appreciation and acceptance of individual differences is cultivated because of their increased understanding of respect for all people. It also prepares all students for adult life in an inclusive society. This practice to say the least, maximizes social peace which the country needs to avert any thought of a conflict on the scale of the past civil war.
To sum it up, there is a difference between “To educate” and “To teach”. To educate means to develop and cultivate. To teach, on the other hand, is defined as to cause to know; to show how; to guide; to make to know. Thus, education includes more than instruction in academic subjects; and teaching includes more than just delivery of academic content. But together, these two should develop the whole child and cultivate all of the skills, attitudes, and knowledge necessary for successful integration into society. This is true for all populations of learners, both with and without disabilities; but it is especially true for students with developmental disabilities, because they often have difficulties with social, emotional, communication, motor, and behavioral development, in addition to academic learning. Thus, practices such as inclusion that aim to educate such students in the full sense of the word must promote development across all educational domains.
The author, Christian Foday Sesay (photo), is a certified Special Educator from the State Board of Education in Texas and works as a Special Education Resource Specialist for the Fort Worth Independent School District. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Instruction and Curriculum with emphasis on Special Education.
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