KISE 28TH Graduation Ceremony
The Kenya institute of special education(KISE) on Friday celebrated the 28th graduation at the KISE grounds, Kasarani in Nairobi county.
The event was graced by the chairperson and council members of the KISE fraternity and education stakeholders from the ministry of education, Kenya national examinational council (KNEC), Teachers service Commission (TSC), among other distinguished guests.
In a speech read by Director General Ministry of education Elyas Abdi on behalf of the education cabinet secretary Ezekiel Machogu, Persons with disabilities have been assured of the government’s commitment to realizing aspirations of global instruments that speak to their empowerment issues.
The CS said that the government has not only signed and ratified but also domesticated the conventions, agreements and treaties on the promotion of various rights of persons with disabilities.
They include the convention on the rights of of persons with disabilities of 2008 and the Marrakesh Treaty of 2013.
According to Machogu in the speech, the ministry is undertaking a number of measures to ensure that everyone has access to quality and affordable education.
He said special needs education section was upgraded to a full directorate at the ministry in order to ensure that there is adequate capacity and provision for the sub-sector.
Therefore, a sub-sector policy on education of learners and trainees with disabilities was launched in 2018 to guide the sector.
The ministry in a bid to ensure availability of a competency based curriculum for the learners with disabilities, the CS revealed that it provides capitation top up to primary and secondary special schools.
To further demonstrate the ministry’s commitment towards access to quality inclusive education, the education ministry boss said the basic education curriculum framework is clearly providing a stage-based track that is responsive to learners with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
While confirming junior secondary education roll-out progress, the CS said they will ensure that learners following the stage-based curriculum transit to the pre-vocational level where they will learn useful skills for their own use and make a significant contribution to the country.
The CS lauded KISE’s efforts at ensuring that learners with disabilities get quality education noting that the government will continue supporting it as it explores innovative ways of undertaking functions provided within its mandate.
Machogu recognized the ongoing research on the development of functional assessment tools for learners with gifts and talents as well as ongoing development of assessment tools for learners with learning disabilities.
He said once the initiative to establish a special needs data and information center which is to be linked to NEMIS and other management systems and institutions like Kenya national bureau of statistics (KNBS) is in place, the government will be able to access accurate data for planning and efficient resource allocation.
Going on in his speech, Machogu said the government is currently implementing a 4-year programme dubbed “ The Kenya primary Equity in Education and Learning” (KPEEL) which has several activities geared towards the inclusion of learners with disabilities and other special needs in education.
While concluding his speech, Machogu challenged KISE institution to explore more ways of expanding the in-service training to include all teachers and all heads of education institutions across all levels of education on matters of special needs and inclusive education which he says will assist in building the requisite awareness and capacity leading to inclusivity in the education system.
Tags: Knec Kise Tsc Signstv Ezekiel Machogu Kise 28Th Graduation
