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There was a time when parents killed their own off-springs simply because the child would have been born with a disability or people would try to finger a family member as the witch or wizard. We live in the modern world where inclusivity is the buzzword; the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has made inclusivity one of its core values; thus; the Schools Psychology Services is an important department in the ministry that determines the establishment of Special Needs Education.
Big Tree Primary School, in the midst of Vadondo country in Chief Musikavanhu area, in 2014, established a school for children with special needs to cater for the growing number of children living with disability in the area and beyond.
How it all started
Way back in 2002, Leavison Peyisai Mtetwa, the headmaster of the school, was an enumerator in the census that took place that year. He saw a need to establish a special needs school at Big Tree Primary School after seeing a number of children living with disability in the community who were given pariah status by everyone; parents were complicit in that unfair treatment of children living with disability.
“I came across a physically challenged boy on my way out of a household; he was almost hidden from prying eyes. Surprisingly, in the questionnaire, the family had not said anything about the existence of such a child. It dawned on me that perhaps, the family was afraid of the stigma of raising a child with such a condition.The boy was of school going age but here he was, hidden as if he had leprosy as it used to happen in the olden days,’’ Mr Mtetwa explained.
He realised that the society had to be educated on the need to include the so-called disabled people in the life of the community. Leaving them behind was anathema in all respects. Stigmatising children with disability is ungodly in a community that prides itself in being Christian.
Chikore is predominantly a Christian area; the United Church in Christ Zimbabwe has strong roots in the area so much that the families that embraced Christianity in the early days are classified as makorwa. Many years ago, it was common banter to hear the women call out to their children, ‘’Tasiya chingwa cha baba mukabadhi.’’
Loosely translated, it meant the woman would have left the man of the house’s bread in the cupboard. Interestingly, the bread referred to sweet potatoes.
In the Bible, Mephibosheth, son to Jonathan, King Saul’s son, was disabled in a mishap at childhood but there are no disparaging words used to describe him. In fact, King David treated him well.
2 Samuel 9:13 says, ‘‘ So Mephiboshet dwelt in Jerusalem; for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.’’
What better way to treat the physically and mentally challenged other than affording them a chance to pursue education?
In 2004, Big Tree Primary School, opened its doors to the first group of children living with disability. The Ministry of Education had approved its establishment.
Mr Rodrick Nera, the Deputy Head, explained how it came to be. He said when they started, they did not have a qualified teacher but somehow, through dedication, the Special Needs class took shape.
‘‘Mrs Sibongile Khosa, Mrs Muchaurawa and Mrs Sithole were the first teachers of this special class. There were five HI (hearing Impaired), one blind and seven ID (Intellectually Disabled) students in that first intake. We are indebted to Nzeve Deaf Children Centre in Mutare for helping us in all areas including providing workshops for our teachers and giving us material help. Moreover, the School Development Community chipped in to make the job easier,’’ he said.
Role of development partners
At the inception of the special needs class, a development partner, World Vision, paid school fees for the orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) at the school; it meant all the physically and mentally challenged children had no trouble in paying fees.
Mr Albert Ndanga, World Vision Chipinge area programmes manager, noted that his organisation is a child focused one and one of its aims is not to leave any child behind.
Thus, the organisation funded some programmes at Big Tree Primary School that were tailor made to empower the formerly disadvantaged children.
‘‘Our vision for every child is life in all its fullness. Our prayer for every heart is the will to make it so. Against such a background, as a development partner, we felt Mr Leavison Mtetwa had a vision which should be complemented. In that regard, we donated wheel chairs where there was a need. We helped children to see specialist surgeons and eye specialists in a bid to rectify their physical discomforts,’’ Mr Ndanga said.
The government pitched in too. To illustrate, all the children in the special needs class were helped by BEAM, a government safety net for those indigent parents.
Nzeve Deaf Children Centre continued to give invaluable support in form of materials to use in teaching the hearing impaired children.
Mrs Sibongile Khosa, went on to train in Special Needs Education with Great Zimbabwe University. She commented the development partner, World Vision, for its sterling work notwithstanding the world recession that engulfed the whole world.
‘‘World Vision facilitated workshops for the teachers. At one time, the pupils and teachers went to Bulawayo courtesy of World Vision to exchange notes as it were but more importantly for us to see how other people are doing it. We came back richer. Of course, there are challenges but if we continue to be focused, there is no way we can fail in advocating for inclusivity in education,’’ she said.
The school authorities mooted the idea of a dining facility after a child who had multiple disability disappeared from the school premises. His remains were later found some distance from the school but the seed of a boarding school had been sown in the minds of the community and school authorities.
He could have gone away on a mission to search for food.
Moreover, as physically and mentally challenged children, it would be good to have food partaken at the school before they go home.
‘‘It was brought to our attention that there was a strong need to have a dining facility in view of the disappearance. In 2009, Project Education, that emphasised access to education for children in difficult circumstances, was started by the organisation. Big Tree and Chibuwe schools were targeted.
That’s when we began buying learning aids, TV, radio, fridge, stove and other materials in anticipation of a dining for these children,’’ Mr Ndanga chipped in.
Renovations were made at the school. Soon, the dining room took shape.
‘‘We raised awareness in the community through the local leadership that as a school, we were ready to make every child access education notwithstanding its mental or physical barriers. Happily, the community took it upon itself to lead by example. Advocacy from the development partner also helped. To that end, following the mooting of the dining idea in 2013, excitement reached a crescendo in 2014 when the dream crystallised into reality,’’ Mr Nera explained.
Community participation
It is often said that one Chinese said if you asked for fish from him, he will give you the first time but when you do so again, he will go with you to the dam or anywhere where there was a water body and then teach you to fish.
The community could not afford to remain perpetual beggars. With that in mind, the people pay for their children’s education.
‘‘We have a capacity of twenty children in the eating area. Each child has to pay $20 per term and monthly, each parent pays $15 for the salaries of those three who help in the day to day running of the dining facility. It is almost voluntary as occasionally, some parents don’t pay.
It is important, however, to note that parents make food contributions regularly,’’ Mr Nera added.
In fact, there are other well- wishers who chip in to ensure that the children are not left in a quandary.
‘‘ We are happy that the headmen heeded the calls we made on child protection and child rights that we enunciated with our development partners,’’ said Mr Nera.
The three hired help always have smiling faces and a look at the dining room where the girls and boys eat, shows a dedicated staff who go the extra mile for the inclusivity factor to shine through.
Mrs Majehwe, one of the matrons, said: “As a community, we resolved to have this dining facility for the disadvantaged children. To me, it is a God given job to make the lives of our children improve. When I see them eat and bathe, my heart palpitates in joy. I would like to urge other parents or guardians to send their children to school regardless of their physical or mental circumstances.’’
Challenges
A project of such a nature has its own fair share of hurdles but to the uninitiated, it may appear as if they have reached the end of the road. Not so for the dedicated team of teachers and administrators at Big Tree Primary School.
‘‘We have a number of grey areas that we feel can be rectified if money is available. For example, we need a carpet for the hearing impaired pupils and wheel chairs are a little bit old; we can do with new ones and even the number can be increased. We are close to the road. For that reason, given the children we have, we need a fence.
We don’t have a store room to store food and the expansion of the kitchen would go a long way in preparing for an influx of special needs children in the future,’’ Mr Nera said.
Chiedza, a child with multiple disability smiled and thanked the group of visitors, ‘‘maita henyu nekuuya kuzotiona.’’
One could not help but smile and reflect on the good things Mr Mtetwa and his team have done to rekindle the aspirations and dreams of these children whose rights to education have been restored to them again.
It remains to be seen whether the community and the country at large will continue to give these special children the special attention that they truly deserve. A day will come when Big Tree School students would participate in the Special Olympics.
Inclusivity in education cannot be overemphasised. In terms of inclusivity, Big Tree School leads the way in Chipinge district.
Mount Selinda Primary School also has a special needs class.
Online Reporter