Parents from Kisii South Sub-County have been warned against keeping their children with special needs at home, and instead enroll them in special schools or integrated learning centres in public primary schools.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK) Kerina Special School for the deaf head teacher James Obara has encouraged parents from the local communities in the region to consider giving their children with special needs a chance to access quality education like normal children.
Speaking at the school after receiving donations of foodstuffs from a Kisii County-based Non-Governmental Organization, Sacred Centre for Widows and Orphans, Obara underscored the importance of area communities and parents to change their negative mindset towards their children with special needs and ensure they treat them equally as their fellow siblings when it comes to provision of education.
“I am encouraging local communities and parents from this region to give equal education opportunities to all their children and avoid discriminating their children with special needs',” stated Obara.
His sentiments were echoed by his deputy, Moses Okenye, who said children with special needs were a blessing in disguise, and they should not be neglected when it comes to provision of education opportunities.
Okenye appealed to the Kisii County Government to consider posting a special needs Education (ECDE) teacher to the school to address the challenge of understaffing as part of the efforts to afford the children in the school with quality and professional education services.