Challenges Faced by Teachers When Teaching Learners with Developmental Disability - A Case Study of Three Primary Schools in Jinja District

AB~TRA~T

Since the early l990s the movement to have education for all was launched at the World Conference that involved various international organizations such as UNESCO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and the World Bank. The main agenda for this conference was Education for All in the entire world. In Uganda the aspect of education for all is not effectively implemented despite of having policies and legal framework that advocate education for all. The education should enhance teachers who teach children with developmental disability and also create awareness in the society to accept children with special educational needs. However, children with developmental disability need extra attention in terms of curriculum adaptation, teaching methods, and availability of teaching and learning materials, assistive technology, assessment systems, as well as resources and finds for more assistance in adapting the school environment. This study addressed the issue of children with developmental disability by examining the challenges faced by teachers who teach children with developmental disability and how they try to overcome these challenges. Local teachers in most of the primary schools in Uganda lack training in special needs education for children with developmental disability. Despite the “Primary Education Development Plan” (PEDP), that ensure education for all, the overall quality of primary education in Uganda remains generally poor for children with developmental disability. The shortages of teachers trained on special- educational needs professionals, as well as the lack of teaching facilities, have a negative effect on the delivery of quality education to children with developmental disability. In many schools, class sizes are too big for teachers to facilitate quality learning. The general purpose of this study is to find out what challenges teachers face when teaching children with developmental disability. Very few studies on children with developmental disability have been conducted in Uganda. Most ofthese few studies focused on secondary school level. Therefore. there is a need to conduct such studies at the primary school level. The empirical investigation is guided by the following The main research question for this report is: What challenges do teachers face when teaching children with developmental disability and how do they overcome them? The study has interviewed and observed four special needs education teachers who teach in two primary schools with a unit for children with special education needs. The study covered three classes. Two parents were interviewed. The study revealed challenges that are quite universal for teaching learners with developmental disability. Teachers in this study expressed the need for reduced class sizes, modern teaching materials, motivations to teachers, and additional support services from the government Most teachers teaching children with developmental disability did not receive any special needs education training from the university, they feel that they are not qualified to teach the children with developmental disability. This study revealed that the classrooms for children with developmental disability in Uganda at large have poor learning environment to support the learners with developmental disability. The study reveals that collaboration between special needs education teachers and parents for children with developmental disability is necessary for the wellbeing of their children.