By Agatha kadzinje

Blantyre, September 28, Mana: Blantyre District Council on Friday commemorated the Day of the African Child, with emphasis on the need for inclusive education for all children, both with and without disabilities.

During the celebration at Chilaweni Primary School in Lunzu, Chairperson of Blantyre District Council, Elson Dumuka, said that children must be encouraged by their parents and guardians to go to school, as every child has a right to education.

He said that children living with disabilities in Malawi should be enrolled in school as most schools are trying to achieve disability- friendly environment so it must be easier for them to access quality education.

“So today, as Blantyre District Council, we are happy to celebrate the African child as it reinforces our commitment to ensuring that every child has access to quality education and opportunity to thrive,” he said.

Director of Education, Alfred Mphandamkoko, told Malawi News Agency (Mana) that this year’s commemoration is very colorful as it has allowed children living with disabilities to also showcase what they are being taught in their classes.

Mphandamkoko added that it is in the ministry’s plans to include the disability-friendly infrastructure and specialized teachers in every primary school in Malawi, so that all children living with disabilities can access education easily.

“Currently, only 40% schools have disability friendly infrastructures, but in few years, as a ministry we believe the percentage will increase through a program called Malawi Education Reform Program (MERP), which is supporting the government in building school infrastructure in selected schools across the country,” he said.

Wezi Mkandawire, Director at Hope Communication College, said that during the ceremony the children voiced out challenges they face in their daily lives as children living with disabilities which has given stakeholders insights into learning conditions in schools.

“Our college offers training to teaching instructors on how to recognize and integrate children living with disabilities for them to learn with less difficulty,” Mkandawire said. 

A member of Chilaweni Special Needs Club, Jonathan kapito, said as children living with disabilities, they face many problems that affect their school attendance.

“We receive a lot of hate speech from the community and guardians as well. We do not have enough equipment to help us such as wheels’ chairs and disability friendly classrooms,” he said.

This year’s theme for Day of the African Child is ‘Promoting equality and inclusive education for all, act now’. Its emphasis is on the need for inclusive education for children with and without disability in education.