Parents of children living with disabilities urged to present them for screening at education centers

Parents with children living with disabilities have been advised to present them for screening at the Educational Assessment Research Centers (EARCs) distributed across the country.

Speaking at Ganze Boys High School in Kilifi County on Friday, Principal Education Officer Keziah Muthara said the ministry has established EARCs to equalize education opportunities for children with special needs and facilitate their full integration into the school system and their community.

She said experts at the EARC help identify the nature and severity of the disability a child might be having and recommend for placement in an appropriate educational institution depending on the child’s special educational needs.

Ms Muthara was addressing education stakeholders during Secondary Education Quality Improvement (SEQIP) social assessment exercise aimed at establishing he social economic and cultural constraints that affect children access to education and transition to secondary education in marginalized and vulnerable communities.

She said the project aims at improving quality education in public secondary schools as well as improving transition rates from primary to secondary in 110 sub-counties in 30 counties mainly in arid and semi-arid areas as well as those that are marginalized.

Muthara said the SEQIP seeks to provide equal educational opportunities to every learner including children living with disabilities in the targeted areas.

She said the main objective of EARC is to equalize education opportunities for children with special needs and facilitate their full integration into the school system and their community.

“They can only get these opportunities when they are presented to EARCs and have their disabilities assessed and advised where to be placed.

She said the government has set up Special Schools, integrated Schools and Special Units and regular schools which cater for the special education needs of children living with disabilities at different levels of severity.

She said assessors at Educational Assessment Research Centers determine a child’s specific learning strengths and needs: they also determine whether or not a child is eligible for special education services.

She said Educational Assessment Research Centers (EARCs) are found in most county headquarters and at the Kenya Institute for Special Education.