UCE champions special needs training for science subjects

THE United College of Education (UCE) has pioneered science subjects’ special needs training programme for secondary school teachers to address the gap as no teacher training institution was offering such at that level.

While UCE teaches special needs teachers for primary schools, there was no institution teaching special needs science teachers, a situation that disadvantaged learners with disabilities in learning science subjects.

UCE provides special educational students with hearing impairments, visually impaired and those with intellectual disabilities and learners with learning disabilities. Such a facility was not available at secondary level for science classes.

Speaking during UCE 56th graduation ceremony last Friday, college principal, Dr Adam Luthuli, said while schools prepare teachers for primary education, the gap becomes a reality when pupils transfer to secondary schools.

“Our graduates teach such children at primary level. The question that then arises is; ‘when these learners with special educational needs complete Grade Seven, who teaches them at secondary school level?’

“Let me put the same question differently. Which institution is producing teachers who are qualified to teach science to blind learners at Form One level?,” said Dr Luthuli.

He said UCE is introducing the programme to cater for such learners as part of its efforts to leave no one behind as enunciated by President Mnangagwa. Dr Luthuli said the first group to enrol for such classes started this August.

“Our ministry saw this gap and that it was not in tandem with His Excellency President Dr. E D Mnangangwa’s mantra of no one and no place left behind. To address the gap, the Government through, the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology gave UCE the mandate to produce Inclusion and Special Educational Needs- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics teachers for Secondary schools as from August 2024,”said Dr Luthuli.

“I am happy to inform you that we have since enrolled 98 pre-service students of whom 74 are female and 24 are male. These Diploma in Education (Secondary) student teachers are specialising in teaching Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Geography to blind or deaf learners at secondary school level.

“They started their first semester on 6 August 2024. In addition to this new pre-service programme, the in-service block release Special Educational Need programme for both primary and secondary school qualified teachers will commence in January 2025.”

Dr Luthuli said UCE has embraced disability inclusion as part of its broader policy and the new programme to teach special needs education teachers for secondary level will affect its overall enrolment.

“With this new programme, our enrolment as of today is 1 888 students comprising 1 731 female and a mere 157 male students. Of this total enrollment, 15 are students with disabilities,” he said.

“It is our college policy that every advert for a new intake bears a statement, which says, ‘persons with disability are encouraged to apply’.

“UCE is home to all, regardless of their physical condition. Even among staff we have a lecturer with visual impairment and a member of the non-teaching staff with hearing impairment.” – @nqotshili