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They are champions State Minister for Higher Education Dr Muyingo Confirms Government Support for disability inclusive education on PWDs

Ssemaganda Moses Hope
By Ssemaganda Moses Hope


They are champions State Minister for Higher Education Dr Muyingo Confirms Government Support for disability inclusive education on PWDs
They are champions State Minister for Higher Education Dr Muyingo Confirms Government Support for disability inclusive education on PWDs

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Public Universities in East Africa region have been urged to take advantage of the available opportunities and initiatives to promote the inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education. The State Minister of Education and Sports, John Chrysostom Muyingo said government of Uganda is to increase support for disability inclusive education for person with disabilities (PWDs) through more funding and the introduction of new policies to favor inclusive education. 

 

Muyingo said issue of inclusive education for PWDs stretches as far as childhood education to institutions of higher learning and that this calls for more government funding and the formulation of new policies that will help in inclusive education for the PWDs. The Minister was officiating at the 1st East African Conference on Disability Inclusive Higher Education that took place on November 13, 2024, at Kyambogo University in Kampala.

 

Uganda government has always supported inclusive education from the time it adopted the white paper on education, which officially committed it to take full responsibility for the education of PWDs in special schools and units. However, we want to go further by including all persons in equal education and opportunities. We shall fund and formulate policies that will help us achieve that,” Muyingo noted.

 

He added that the government should introduce a higher education loan financing scheme with PWDs as the priority targeted group to enable them to access higher education. “To benefit from this scheme, one needs to have done a science-related course, but this does not apply for PWDs. I urge them to apply for the scheme unordered to have higher education,” He added.The Vice Chancellor of Kyambogo University, Eli Katunguka Rwakishaya, said the institution has organized the conference to be able to bring together people in academia, research, and people who want to support PWDs.“We organized this conference to share information on how pwds can be provided for so they can access higher education,” he stated.National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU).

 

Chief Executive Officer Ms Esther Kyozira said despite some affirmative action measures, significant barriers such as physical inaccessibility, attitudinal challenges, and financial constraints still persist. “Inclusive practices are inconsistently implemented and many institutions lack essential assistive technologies and supportive services”. She said.Conference participants observed that critical challenges including limited parental and stakeholder involvement, restrictive admissions policies, inadequate training for lecturers in special needs education, and the inaccessibility of facilities like libraries and laboratories must be addressed.

 

 

They said Public Universities in the East Africa region need to put much emphasis on strengthening stakeholder engagement, providing specialized training for lecturers, improving infrastructural accessibility, and increasing sensitization and advocacy efforts.

 

The 1st East African conference on Disability Inclusive Higher Education was organized by Faculty of Special Needs and Rehabilitation at Kyambogo University, Uganda, in partnership with The Norwegian Association of Disabled and other esteemed partners.

 

 

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