People with disabilities appeal for more schools

Yeukai Tazira Herald Reporter
PEOPLE living with disabilities have requested the Government to build them more schools, saying those available were beyond their reach.

Officiating at a workshop held by the Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association (ZPHCA) in Harare recently, Senator Rejoice Timire, who represents people with disabilities in Parliament, said they were not getting equal access to education.

She said available schools were mostly in urban centres and there was need to consider the educational needs of those in rural communities.

“It still remains a huge challenge for a person living with disability to access education,” she said.
“Most school infrastructure, especially in rural areas, is not user-friendly and, therefore, it becomes difficult for children with disabilities to access classrooms and toilets.”

Sen Timire said there was need for more schools to be built for children living with disabilities, as most of the available ones were out of reach.

“There is need for Government to build more schools that are disability friendly, especially in the rural areas because few of the schools we have are out of reach for most of the children and that is why most of them end up dropping out of school at primary school level,” she said.

Sen Timire said the sexual rights of disabled people were overlooked because the country’s social system viewed them as incapable and not exposed to sexual problems.

“The Constitution only guarantees our rights as disabled people when the resources are available, while we constitute a considerable part of the community,” she said.

“There is need for people with disabilities to be represented in all departments, which include the education and health sectors.”

Speaking during the same event, ZPHCA chairperson Ms Theresa Makwara said inclusivity of disabled children meant a bright future for the nation.

“We have disabled people who have made it in all walks of life, some are now lawyers, teachers and so forth, therefore, there is every need to support persons living with disabilities as disability is not inability,” she said.

According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, about 7 percent (over 900 000 individuals) of the Zimbabwean population are People Living with Disabilities (PWDs).

Despite being a significant portion of the population, PWDs did not have representation in Parliament until 2013 when a constitutional provision mandated that two seats be reserved for one male and one female.