SNU validation workshop underway

The Special Needs Education Unit (SNU), in collaboration with Save the Children-Sweden, yesterday, began a two-day validation workshop on the Special Needs Education and Inclusive Education Policy Framework 2009-2015, at St John’s School for the Deaf in Kanifing.

In his address, Mr Momodou Sanneh, the director of the Department of State for Basic and Secondary Education (DoSBSE), disclosed that the EFA 2000 assessment indicated that most countries have set universal primary education as the minimum target in their education policies. Although he noted there was progress throughout the world, there were regions where little or no progress, or even a decline was reported.

According to him, in The Gambia, special needs education has been at the core of a wider reform which has been directed at enhancing the system’s effectiveness, an essential pre-condition for bringing about quality education for all.  “As reflected in our policy document, special needs education is not something additional to or separate from the mainstream education provision but an alternative way of looking into educational development and responding to diversity of learners’ needs,” he said.

Commenting on the strategic policy on education for all persons, in all regions of the country and in all economic conditions through public and private provision, he said this is because, in the past, relatively few children with disabilities had even the rudiments of a basic education.

In her welcoming remarks, Nancy Mendy, head of the Special Needs Unit, said that special needs education, as outlined in the 2004-2015 education policy, espouses the whole system approach in ensuring that children with special needs get their share of the national cake.

According to her, the aim of this validation is to build consensus on the document and to move the process forward. It is also aimed at advocating for inclusion of special needs issues in other national documents.

“We appreciate the financial support given by Save the Children Sweden without which this validation would not have happened. They have set the pace for this important process and we would be relying on everyone of you to help continue the process of ensuring that the strategies outlined in this document being validated are carried out to bring out the potentials of special needs children, thus making them productive members of the society,” she concluded.