BY WATIPASO MZUNGU JNR
Malawi National Association for the Deaf (Manad) has decried the inadequate funding government allocates to arms and departments dealing with issues of people with disabilities.
The association further expressed concern over the delay by government to enact Disability Bill into law, saying the development aggravates challenges and discrimination people with disabilities face in the country.
Manad chairperson Juliana Mwase raised the concerns at a press conference it held in Blantyre in preparation for this year’s International Deaf Week.
The main activities are taking place in Lilongwe from today (Monday) to Sunday and Minister of Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly, Reen Kachere, has been tipped to grace the closing of the occasion as guest of honour.
And in her speech at the conference, Mwase observed that it will remain a dream for Malawi to achieve an inclusive society in the absence of the bill.
Mwase said the bill was very crucial in achieving in protecting freedoms and rights of people with disabilities, especially in achieving inclusive education.
“Inclusive education demands that all barriers affecting its realization be removed and an enabling environment be created where all deaf students can learn and participate effectively within mainstream school systems. [Manad] believes that inclusive education can be achieved if there are adequate supports and services for the deaf students, professional development for all teachers involved and special educators. Sufficient funding is needed so that schools that will be able to develop programmes for students based on students’ needs,” she said.
On the delay to constitutionalize the Disability Bill into law, Mwase said people with disabilities continue to endure discrimination and stigma because there is no law that backs them up.
“We believe that the law will play an important role in the protection of the rights of people with disabilities in the society. We, therefore, plead with government to expedite the process of enacting this bill into law,” Mwase said.
Echoing Mwase’s concerns, Federation for Disability Organizations in Malawi (Fedoma) executive director Mussa Chiwaula observed that “Malawi only been good at talking on inclusive education without setting up tangible structures to support the call [for inclusive education]”.
He cited lack of specialist teachers in the country’s schools as one of the major challenges affecting the education of people with hearing and sight impairments.
Currently, Catholic-owned Montfort Teachers’ Training College remains the only college offering Special Needs Education, but at a lower rate of 90 students per year.
This figure is said to be very small comparing to the population of learning who have hearing and sight impairments in the country.
“As Fedoma, we’re worried that we do a lot of talking, but nothing really is happening on the ground. We want an incluse society; the delay in passing the bill further penalizes people with disabilities,” said Chiwaula.
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