Teachers need training on disability

WINDHOEK, 30 JUN  – Teachers need specific training on disability to enable them to address challenges and barriers and negative attitudes toward people living with disabilities.
This was one of the recommendations concluded from interviews with different sectors representing people with disabilities in a publication on assessing Inclusive Education in Namibia, challenges and opportunities in leaving no one behind.
Different publications were handed over to the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture on Thursday by the United Nations Children’s Fund, which represent findings on the current status, progress and challenges in the education sector.
The Inclusive Education in Namibia publication highlights that teachers play a crucial role when it comes to inclusive education, as they have to provide equitable and quality education for all children including those with disabilities.
“Inclusive education is supported whereby children with disabilities are encouraged to attend their local neighbourhood schools, where all children are educated in the same classrooms and emphasis will be on providing each learner with support as per individual learning needs,” the publication detailed.
According to the publication, training needs to cover accessibility audits, inclusive and disability-specific teaching methodologies and disability sensitisation and curriculum adaptation and differentiation, among others topics, in preventing barriers relating to training and resources.
Receiving the publications, Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Katrina Hanse-Himarwa highlighted that people living with disabilities were still behind in education.
“These challenges range from curriculum implementation, inadequate teacher qualification and negative attitudes towards disability amongst others,” she said.
Hanse-Himarwa noted that curricula need to be implemented properly by all in the education sector, including parents who deny their children education due to negative cultural beliefs about disability.

NAMPA