Children with special educational needs should not be banished from regular schools

The story headlined “Build more special schools” in the Swazi Observer of November 21 was quite an upsetting read. A senator moved a motion in parliament to the effect that, with funds permitting, government should build more schools to cater for pupils with special needs, because “an ideal situation would be to separate pupils according to their needs to avoid lowering the standards just because teachers are trying to accommodate slow learners.”

He was also quoted as saying the inclusive nature of the country’s education system had a potential to compromise the quality of education in the country’s schools. No offence intended, but the education system in Swaziland can hardly be described as inclusive, especially when it comes to children with intellectual disabilities.  Whole families are moving from far and wide to chase a handful of schools that can accommodate their children in other areas. Children with special educational needs are commuting long distances for the very same reason.  Inclusive education means that all students, with or without disabilities, attend and are welcomed by their neighbourhood schools in age-appropriate, regular classes and are supported to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of the life of the school. When there are still allegations that “slow-learners” impede the progress of other students, then it means there’s piece of the puzzle that’s still missing. With the right kind of support, there will be a way around accommodating all students without fear of those with learning disabilities disadvantaging anyone. That would be inclusive learning.  There is well-documented evidence that when typical learners and those with disabilities learn together, there are good results academically and socially. 

Susan Nyatanga, a trainee special needs teacher from University College in Denmark said suggesting exclusionary policies when research is showing that students actually mutually benefit from being in mainstream schools is not only retrogressive to societal development, but also promotes discrimination of the special needs learners. “Instead of arguing that they lower educational standards, why not test them according to their abilities? When teachers are trained properly, they are equipped with many methods through which they can assist all children according to their abilities. A progressive argument would be on how best to train the teachers to enable them to teach the children with special needs, or what can be done to equip schools to accommodate these children. As educationists, if we restrict their world instead of expanding it, we would have dismally failed,” she added.

Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences argues that we should not have the same test for everyone. Children have different talents and should be tested according to those talents and their level of functioning.

Nyatanga said most special schools in Denmark were actually being gradually dissolved as the country moves towards integrated education. The whole world is moving towards that. The UNESCO World Conference on Special Needs Education, held in Salamanca, Spain in 1994 made very important provisions which Swaziland would do well to adopt. One of the recommendations reads, “…those with special educational needs must have access to regular schools which should accommodate them within a child-centred pedagogy capable of meeting these needs.” The conference called on governments worldwide “to adopt as a matter of law and policy the principle of inclusive education, enrolling all children in regular schools, unless there are compelling reasons for doing otherwise.” If Swaziland is moving towards First World status, separating children based on their educational needs should not even cross anyone’s mind. If we seclude them, what will do next? Build a little world for them to live because they are deemed slower than others?

Swaziland has its own success stories in inclusive education. Inclusion does not necessarily mean all learners will always be in the same classes. There can be a classroom for those with special educational needs, where their strengths are assessed. They then join other classes for subjects they are strong at. Enjabulweni School is doing it, with very good results. They have the Paiva Learning Centre where children with special educational needs are based, and those that are strong in certain subjects join the mainstream classes for those subjects. All children with or without learning difficulties participate in school plays, sports and all activities. Stepping Stones opened a class for autism this year and is also doing very well with inclusive learning, as you will read in next week’s instalment.

Schools are not all about academic achievements.  They are also places where children’s outlook of the world is cultivated. It is where they are taught to discriminate or embrace those that are different. What will be teaching typical children when we say those that don’t learn at the same pace as them should be isolated? The excluded children will be deprived of the opportunity to socialize; the only world they will know is that which comprises people with their challenges. Children learn from socialization. The world is bigger than whatever challenge the children might have. Inclusive education in regular classrooms minimises the likelihood of a child with disability becoming an adult segregated from broader society.

There could be some parents who would prefer special schools over mainstream, depending on the condition of their child or other factors. The research that I have done, however, indicates that many parents of children with learning difficulties would rather have them in mainstream school, with a separate class where they can learn at their own pace. They are just children at the end of the day, and their disabilities or conditions should not define them. They should all be treated like equal citizens, not a burden that should be eliminated from mainstream schools and be condemned to some other corner like lepers. The Salamanca Statement recommends that governments should promote parental partnerships so that parent representatives are involved in the design and implementation of programmes intended to enhance the education of their children. Parents should have a choice and a say over where to place children with special educational needs. Currently Swazi parents do not.

Published in Swazi Observer on Sunday

Education struggle is real for people with autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges, in varying degrees. It is life-long and is present from early childhood. Some of the red flags for autism are language delay, lack of eye contact if you call the child’s name or try to engage him/her, lack of social interaction, sensitivity to loud sounds, repetitive behaviour, and difficulty in handling routine changes, among a host of other symptoms. Although it is not clear how many people have autism in the kingdom, the fact is that there is a substantial number, substantial enough for relevant authorities to want to avail facilities targeted at improving their quality of life. 

In Swaziland there are many severe deficiencies in the world of individuals with autism and their families. These range from non-availability of medication sometimes, lack of a solid support system for parents, the stigma associated with the condition, and of primary concern, non-availability of ideal educational structures for children with autism.

I am very thankful to have conducted some interviews with some autism moms. Many are not willing to talk about their experiences with the condition. I do hope that as we continue discussing this condition, more people will come forward to share their stories, with hopes that when the powers that be read real stories from real people, the challenges surrounding autism in the country can be addressed. The general consensus in the autism community in Swaziland is that not enough is being done to foster inclusive education, especially in government schools. When people discuss educational inclusion, what immediately springs to mind are wheelchair ramps, braille, and equipment for the deaf. Those with intellectual difficulties are usually sidelined.

While most parents would have secured schools for their children several months before the beginning of the new academic year, those with autistic children will be tearing their hair out with absolutely no clue where to send their children. The choices are very limited, and are usually not ideal. Now, that is extremely sad because every child deserves an equal shot at life regardless of how they were created. Children with autism are not write-offs. They are quite capable of learning, but do so in a different way and at a different pace than typical children. We cannot preach acceptance or equal rights for people with disabilities when there are certain groups that aren’t being sufficiently catered for

A section of Mbabane

Parents of typical children have a wide array of school choices. When your child has autism and you are in Swaziland, you mostly have to settle for any school that will accept your child, even when, with a breaking heart, you can tell that your child is not really getting the help he needs.  A parent would sleep better knowing their child is getting the best care possible at school, and is not just getting tolerated or even being discriminated against.

This happened to Sakhile* of Mbabane when she enrolled her autistic daughter, Nomsa*, at a certain school. When she met the person who would be her child’s teacher, she was very upbeat and assured her that she knew how to deal with autistic children as she had also studied Psychology. Not long afterwards, Sakhile got a distressing text from the teacher, who said she couldn’t handle Nomsa anymore. She was hyperactive, would just walk out of class at will to just look around, and could not concentrate on one thing at a time. Sakhile took her to a local pediatrician so that she could get medication to help her settle down, but the doctor declined to do so. (The issue of medicating children with autism is a thorny one, and will be tackled in upcoming instalments).   The teacher said Nomsa had to come so school with an assistant from home as she could not cope on her own.  In her own words, “It would help a great deal and release some pressure off me.” Sakhile said there is someone she has a connection with, Nomsa behaves a little better.  She then decided to send her helper with the child, but the helper quickly quit her job because she did not want to accompany the child to school. She probably felt this was not what she signed up for.

Sakhile’s sentiment is that the teacher did not create a relationship with the child and wrote her off without even trying. Consequently she had to pull her child out of school for a few days to arrange for another assistant.  “The teacher’s complaints always implied that my child is a burden. When we first met her, she allowed the child to be and when we tried to control her, she would say, “No, leave her alone. Let her be herself!”  She said she did Psychology, but if you did psychology then you should know how hard your words would hit a person and you would choose your words carefully when you complain,” she said.

There are a number of private schools that are doing their best to equip themselves to include pupils with autism by providing the right amenities such as Occupational and Speech Therapy at the schools to avoid the hassle of children missing school, and their parents missing work on a regular basis to seek the treatments at hospitals. But what happens to those that cannot afford private schools? They do not get an equal chance at education and sadly just fall through the cracks. There are also quite a few preschools taking children with autism, but when they’re old enough to go to primary school, there are just not enough schools to accommodate them.

In the next instalment, we will discuss how the Enjabulweni Learning Centre came to be, and how it happens to be the dream school for many parents with autistic children.

Published in Swazi Observer on Sunday

*Names changed on request

How the Enjabulweni Learning Centre came to be

Over a decade ago, a family found itself in a predicament following the discovery that their son had a learning disability. Unfortunately, as he grew up, no-one had brought their attention to it and by the time they realised it because the pre-school that he went to just pushed him along.

When it was time for him to go to school, the Paivas realised that their son, who we will call Ben, was not really ready for that. They decided to investigate, and that was the beginning of their grueling journey to accord their child a chance to get an education like any other child.  “We spent a lot of our time to research to see how best we could help our son, which resulted in us being told by one of the people we went to see that with children like our son, the most important thing that you can give them is stability in their life and their home environment,” said Sonia Paiva, the child’s mother.  But they wanted their child to learn, and an advisor recommended that he be put in a school that would accommodate him, with children of his level of functioning, and at the same time let him go to meet the children in the mainstream.

“When we came back to Swaziland there was absolutely [no school] like that in both the government and private institutions.” The Paivas then approached Enjabulweni, and realised that the need for a special needs class was there but there were no facilities for that. They then came to an agreement with the school to build the Paiva Remedial Centre while the school provided the professionals. And that’s how what is known as the Learning Centre started.  That staunch determination by desperate parents has resulted into a huge blessing for children who would also have had nowhere to go.

Enjabulweni Head of School, Kathy Thompson said there has always been a huge demand for special needs education and a remedial class. The Learning Centre accommodates children with autism, Down syndrome, ADHD, dyslexia, the physically disabled, and those that just need a boost to settle in the mainstream. Owing to the fact that there aren’t many options in the country, there is a long waiting list for people hoping to secure a place for their children with learning disabilities. “We no longer put people on the waiting list, we are forced to turn them away,” said Thompson.

More than a decade since the Paivas’ struggle, there sadly hasn’t been much improvement. One parent facing a similar struggle is Setsabile* from Mvutjini. She is unemployed and her husband does not make enough to send their autistic 7-year-old son to a private school and cater for their other needs at home.

 “When my son was four years old, I took him to pre-school with hopes that when he mingled with mainstream kids, his speech and behaviour would improve but I was very disappointed when the teachers told me that they couldn’t handle him. He only lasted one term and one day I found him locked alone in a separate class and they said he’s causing chaos and disturbing the normal kids,” said Setsabile. After that she could not find placement anywhere else, and was forced to stay with him at home for two years until she found a place at a special school.

Setsabile is still keen to send her child to a mainstream school with a special needs class so that he can learn proper social skills from the typical children. Presently  she has to hire a taxi to pick him from a bus stop a kilometer away from home to the special school and back, to a school about 8 km away. She pays E1 700 per term in taxi fare. Although she is thankful that her child is in school, she is not entirely happy with the standards at the school. “The ministry of education must hire therapists so that our kids get speech and occupational therapy at school,” she said. Getting therapy at hospitals is challenging because of the expense of taxi fare to go there and managing the child’s behaviour in public transport.

The presence of resident therapists is one of Enjabulweni’s biggest strengths. Thompson said Enjabulweni was focused on inclusivity. “When a child improves, even for one lesson, we try to include them in the mainstream. Learning difficulties such as dyslexia, ADD, ADHD are barely residential and are good candidates for inclusivity,” she added.  This process, however, does not come cheap and Thompson highlighted that the children at the learning centre don’t have enough teaching assistants. She said the children needed to have much more therapy, but the Speech and Occupational Therapists at the school had a huge workload as they also work with children in the mainstream who might need their assistance. They also have to be paid medical rates, which is one of the challenging aspects of retaining their services in the school.

With regards to how other children in the school relate to those with intellectual disabilities, Thompson said, “We try to create a sense of family and children with special needs are included wherever possible in order to look for, and find their strengths. All these people can perform. Society has to give them the opportunity.” She said her school was pushing towards vocational opportunities in order to find a skill appropriate for their capability. The Learning Centre currently has an agricultural project they are running.

Inclusive education has been seen to help improve the condition of children with learning disabilities. Affected children will learn how to relate with others, while typical kids will grow up with “different” people among them, minimizing the possibility of them growing up to discriminate against those with disabilities. 

Published in Swazi Observer on Sunday

*Names changed on request