What is the use of information?

The aim of this blog is to give good information about disability in Uganda. There is often a lack of good information. I have tried to find the best information, that I hope will be useful to all persons with disabilities in Uganda.

Is the information this blog supplies useful? What do you think?

The poster says about this video:

Councillor William Mwambu (from Masindi District, Uganda) explains how a lack of accurate data on disability greatly affects the way decision makers plan, budget, allocate resources and influence policies.

Disability and Literacy/Numeracy in Uganda

The post Education and Disability: Dropout Figures for Uganda showed statistics for the education of children with disabilities (CWDs) in Uganda. The information used was taken from the 2012 paper Access to education for children with disabilities in Uganda: Implications for Education for All. The post presented two tables taken from the paper. Table 1 showed the percentage of pupils that had attended school at some stage in their lives and Table 2 showed pupils that had achieved Grade 5. Grade 5 means the person has basic literacy and numeracy.

This post summarizes that data into one Table and answers the questions: What percentage of children with a disability have basic literacy and numeracy? The calculated results are as follows:

Table: Child disability and Literacy/Numeracy

The following data is reported in each column: 

• Attended or Attending School: Children were asked if they had attended school or dropped out of school, these percentages were added together, reported as a percentage.
• Grade 5 Completed: Children aged 13-17 years old, if they were attending or had attended school, were asked if they had passed Grade 5, that is did they have basic numeracy and literacy, this is reported as a percentage.
• Basic Literacy/ Numeracy: Shows the percentage of CWDs in each disability group, age 13-17 years, that have basic numeracy and literacy and is reported as a percentage.

	Attended or Attending School	Grade 5 Completed	Basic Literacy/ Numeracy
Difficulty seeing even with glasses
No difficulty	91.02	34.67	31.56
Yes - some difficulty	94.47	30.59	28.90
Yes - a lot of difficulty	85.30	27.37	23.35
Difficulty hearing even with hearing aid
No difficulty	91.20	35.33	32.22
Yes - some difficulty	90.66	24.24	21.98
Yes - a lot of difficulty	77.49	10.48	8.12
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs
No difficulty	91.21	35.19	32.07
Yes - some difficulty	91.11	20.39	18.58
Yes - a lot of difficulty	61.43	10.74	6.66
Difficulty remembering or concentrating
No difficulty	91.20	36.64	33.42
Yes - some difficulty	92.39	19.39	17.91
Yes - a lot of difficulty	71.36	12.12	8.65
Difficulty with selfcare
No difficulty	91.48	35.64	32.60
Yes - some difficulty	89.97	16.80	15.11
Yes - a lot of difficulty	41.88	0	0
Difficulty communicating
No difficulty	91.33	35.26	32.20
Yes - some difficulty	87.64	9.21	8.07
Yes - a lot of difficulty	52.24	3.66	1.91

When a child with a disability attends school attitudes are changed

The National Education Profile 2014 Update using 2011 data shows that 4% of youths from 16-24 years have never attended education and that 52% have not completed primary school. This means that more than 44% of Ugandan non disabled children have surpassed basic numeracy and literacy of Grade 5.

Inspecting the data reported in the table above, it becomes immediately apparent that CWDs lag behind their non disabled counterparts by more than 10 percentage points; in some cases by more than 40 percentage points. CWDs face significant barriers. This means that between 65% and 100% of CWDs between the ages of 13 and 17 years in Uganda do not have basic numeracy and literacy.

Disability affects CWDs in diverse ways. There is no one size fits all solution to the inequalities displayed in the Table above. It is clear that the issue of barriers to learning needs to be addressed with some urgency. If access was improved:

• Reducing class sizes: Would help children with difficulty remembering or concentrating.
• Wheelchair access: Those that have difficulty climbing stairs would have more opportunity to be literate and numerate. 
• Sign language interpreters: Those that have difficulty hearing would have more opportunity to be literate and numerate. 
• Accessible toilets: Those having difficulty with selfcare would have more opportunity to be literate and numerate. 
• Braille: Those having difficulty with seeing even with glasses would have more opportunity to be literate and numerate.

The data presented above clearly shows that as the degree of disability increases, it becomes more difficult to access education. In other words as the severity of disability increases, literacy and numeracy decreases. That means that CWDs do not have proper access to education. Therefore Uganda's education system is failing CWDs and above all failing Ugandan society - imagine the brilliant minds that are being left behind just because they cannot get into school. Disability should not mean inability. Everyone has the right to be educated. A barrier free society means means equal access for everyone, and everyone in society benefits.

Barriers

This video shows the barriers that everyone, teachers and pupils, disabled and non disabled, must overcome to get an education in the mountainous eastern regions of Uganda. Is it any wonder that dropout rates (see Education and Disability: Dropout Figures for Uganda) are so high? 

Who is disabled by barriers (see The Social Model of Disability: Education in Uganda)? If you accept a stereotypical view of disability (see Stigma and Disability: Stereotypes) 15 year old Silus Walenga does prove that "disability is not inability"; but ask yourself: How does someone in a wheelchair get to this school? How would someone that is blind negotiate the terrain?

Poverty is a further barrier to education (see Poverty and Disability Around the World). Silus Walenga must also work to pay for school fees and food so that he can go to school.

The poster says:

In our second part of insight Bududa and Mbale, we bring you a 15 year old Silus Walenga who crawls more than 5 kilometers to school.
Silus who was crippled in 2013 after a malaria attack does not only crawl to school but can also dig, look after cattle and do house chores.
Born in a poverty stricken family, the now disabled young boy wakes up very early in the morning to crawl through narrow and muddy road to pursue his dream of becoming a teacher.

Education and Disability: Dropout Figures for Uganda

In Education in Uganda: High Dropout Rates it was indicated that there is a high dropout rate from education amongst children with disabilities (CWDs). This blog post will examine how many CWDs participate in school and give a more detailed dropout rate.

The 2012 paper Access to education for children with disabilities in Uganda: Implications for Education for All, is interesting reading. Inequalities, the paper says, are a major barrier to universal education for all:

Priority has been given to gender and income inequality; however, to achieve universal education we must focus on all marginalized groups. The disabled are among the least visible of the marginalized children. As the Ugandan government develops a policy on special needs children, it is essential to understand the current schooling status of disabled children in Uganda. Therefore, using 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey data this study examines schooling patterns of disabled children in Uganda. The study finds that disabled children are significantly less likely to enroll, attend and complete Grade 5. The study also finds that the disadvantage disabled children face depend on the nature and extent of the impairment.

The paper then describes the source of the data that is analysed and provides tables of the statistical analysis:

The sample used in the study consisted of 16,319 children aged 6 – 17 years. About 12% (1,864 children) of the sample reported some form of disability. Filmer (2008) found a strong association between poverty and disability; therefore, it is not surprising to find that 24% of the disabled resided in the poorest quintile and 16% in the wealthiest quintile. About 90% (1,717 children) of the disabled children reside in the rural areas; about 30% of the disabled children in the sample are from the Northern region, the poorest region in Uganda.

First we look at whether or not these children ever enroll and attend school. To determine whether or not a child had enrolled and attended school respondents were asked the following questions: Has (NAME) ever attended school? Did (NAME) attend school at any time during the 2006 school year? They were asked the second question if they reported they had ever enrolled in school.

Table 1: Child disability and school participation

	Attending School	Dropped Out	Never Enrolled
Difficulty seeing even with glasses
No difficulty	84.54	6.48	8.98
Yes - some difficulty	85.64	8.83	5.53
Yes - a lot of difficulty	71.30	14.00	14.70
Difficulty hearing even with hearing aid
No difficulty	84.59	6.61	8.80
Yes - some difficulty	85.90	4.76	9.34
Yes - a lot of difficulty	69.53	7.95	22.51
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs
No difficulty	84.71	6.50	8.79
Yes - some difficulty	82.61	8.50	8.89
Yes - a lot of difficulty	49.69	11.73	38.57
Difficulty remembering or concentrating
No difficulty	84.81	6.39	8.80
Yes - some difficulty	83.58	8.80	7.61
Yes - a lot of difficulty	54.97	16.38	28.64
Difficulty with selfcare
No difficulty	84.91	6.57	8.52
Yes - some difficulty	75.14	4.83	20.03
Yes - a lot of difficulty	35.77	6.11	58.12
Difficulty communicating
No difficulty	84.88	6.45	8.67
Yes - some difficulty	75.77	12.36	12.36
Yes - a lot of difficulty	40.57	12.36	47.76

Table 1 presents the child disability and school participation patterns of 6 – 17 year old children. Two issues are highlighted in Table 1. First, it shows that children with disabilities face obstacles to school participation, but the magnitude of the obstacles vary by the nature and extent of the impairment. For example, about 71% of children who reported facing a lot of difficulty seeing with glasses were attending school compared to about 36% of children who had a lot of difficulty with selfcare. UNESCO (2010) reports, “impairments that affect the capacity to communicate and interact in ways common in mainstream schools can impose particularly high practical and social obstacles to participation in education” (p.182).

Second, majority of the out-of-school disabled children had not yet enrolled in school. This is not surprising because many studies have found institutionalized discrimination, neglect and stigmatization in schools and society; this has created a cycle of low levels of schooling and subsequent poverty (UNESCO 2010; Filmer 2008; Kristensen et al 2006; UNESCO 2004). Disabled children face schools that are underfunded and lack educational materials, yet they had to pay high fees (Kristensen et al 2006). These institutional constraints may explain why some households are reluctant to enroll their children in schools.

Table 2: Disability and Grade 5 completion for 13 - 17 year old children

	Grade 5 not completed	Grade 5 completed
Difficulty seeing even with glasses
No difficulty	65.33	34.67
Yes - some difficulty	69.41	30.59
Yes - a lot of difficulty	72.63	27.37
Difficulty hearing even with hearing aid
No difficulty	64.67	35.33
Yes - some difficulty	75.76	24.24
Yes - a lot of difficulty	89.52	10.48
Difficulty walking or climbing stairs
No difficulty	64.81	35.19
Yes - some difficulty	79.61	20.39
Yes - a lot of difficulty	89.26	10.74
Difficulty remembering or concentrating
No difficulty	64.36	36.64
Yes - some difficulty	80.61	19.39
Yes - a lot of difficulty	87.88	12.12
Difficulty with selfcare
No difficulty	65.01	35.64
Yes - some difficulty	83.20	16.80
Yes - a lot of difficulty	100.00	0.00
Difficulty communicating
No difficulty	64.74	35.26
Yes - some difficulty	90.79	9.21
Yes - a lot of difficulty	96.34	3.66

Table 1 showed that a large proportion of disabled children are out of school. For those who do enroll in school, how successful are they? Using household survey data Filmer (2008) found that grade progression was very poor for disabled children in developing countries. Table 2 presents the proportion of 13 – 17 year old children who reported they had completed Grade 5. Successful completion of Grade 5 is taken as the threshold for acquisition of literacy and numeracy (UNESCO 2005). All respondents who reported they had at some point enrolled in school were asked the following questions: What is the highest level of school (NAME) has attended? What is the highest grade (NAME) completed at that level? The official age of school entry in Uganda is 6. If they enrolled on time and progressed successfully, they should have completed Grade 5 by age 11.

The Grade 5 completion rates in Uganda for children 13 – 17 years are very low; about 35% of children reported they had completed Grade 5. The Grade 5 completion rates are even lower for disabled children; about 10% of children who had difficulty hearing even with hearing aids had completed Grade 5. Since disabled children face greater obstacles, it is not surprising that many have not yet completed Grade 5. As was the case in Table 1, the magnitude of the obstacles vary by the nature and extent of the impairment. About 12% of children who reported facing a lot of difficulty remembering or concentrating had completed Grade 5 compared to about 4% and 0% of children who had a lot of difficulty communicating and selfcare, respectively.

Tables 1 and 2 highlight the markedly different consequences of impairment on education in Uganda. Fewer disabled children enroll in school on time and when they do enroll, very few successfully progress through school. These descriptive statistics highlight the magnitude of the challenge facing Uganda as it seeks to provide universal education.

The paper continues with further multivariate analyses. Then discusses the analyses of Table 1 and Table 2 and offers a conclusion:

The international community pledged to achieve universal primary education by 2015. Despite recent progress, UNESCO (2011) has warned that unless countries redouble their efforts there will be an increase in the number of out-of-school children from the 2008 estimate of 67 million. Some of the most significant obstacles to universal education in sub-Saharan Africa can be found outside the immediate reach of the education sector; these obstacles include extreme poverty, HIV and AIDS, corruption and ineffective use of resources, and conflict (Caillods et al 2006). Poverty and conflict have been linked to physical and mental disabilities (UNICEF 2008; UNESCO 2010).

Disabilities make it difficult for children to acquire academic competence. Disabled children require extra attention to comprehend. This extra attention requires more resources that may not be available in countries with limited resources, like Uganda. Uganda recognizes the need to reach all children, especially those with disabilities. Therefore, access to education for children with disabilities is a key objective of the Ministry of Education and Sports (2005). As the government embarks on its Education Sector Strategic Plan 2004-2015, it is essential to understand the current schooling status of children with disabilities in Uganda.

Before we discuss the findings of the study, it is important to acknowledge some limitations of the UDHS data used in this study. First, the data may be unreliable because disability was self-reported. Given the stigma associated with disability (Kristensen et al 2006; UNICEF 2008), it is likely that some households may be ashamed of their disabled children and may not have acknowledged them. Second, there were not enough cases to conduct multivariate analysis of schooling patterns controlling for the nature and severity of the disability... Despite the data limitations, we can learn important things than may inform policy.

The findings of this study indicate children with disabilities face significant obstacles to schooling. These children are significantly less likely to enroll in school, attend school, and complete Grade 5. Many disabled children do not enroll in school. The social stigma and prejudice may discourage parents from sending their children to school (Kristensen et al 2006; UNICEF 2008; UNESCO 2010). This limited enrollment may also be due to the lack of resources in special and regular schools and the prejudice that attend regular schools (UNESCO 2010). UNESCO (2010) also found that many schools, especially in rural and slum areas, are physically inaccessible to some children with disabilities.

For those disabled children who do enroll in school grade progression is very poor. The lack of enrollment and progression suggest obstacles in school and in the households. Overall Grade 5 completion is low for all children in Uganda, but it is significantly lower for children with disabilities. The poor progression may be due to limited resources, lack of proper assessment, poorly trained teachers, and limited parental support (Kristensen et al 2006). Kristensen at al (2006) found that, “many parents did not visit their children once they had been admitted to a special school, neither did they take the children home on school vacations.” (p. 145). Without parental support these children are unlikely to succeed in school.

It is clear from the findings that disability is experienced differently depending on the nature if the disability. Vision and some forms of physical disabilities carry less stigma and require fewer extra resources in school. Consequently, children with disabilities are more likely to be found in schools. Other disabilities, such as difficulty with selfcare, require more resources and carry greater stigma. Given this differential experience of disabled children, the Ugandan government need to enact polices that take into consideration the nature and severity of the disability. This will probably be the greatest challenge for the Ugandan government. Providing resources and materials to serve all the disabled children will require increased financing to train teachers, provide educational materials and assistive devices like hearing aids, and financial support for families.

It is clear from this study that disabled children in Uganda face significant challenges in society and school; their enrollment, attendance, and Grade 5 completion rates are very low. If the Uganda government is to reach disabled children they will need to develop procedures for proper assessment of the disabilities, collect more accurate and reliable data, train teachers for the different forms of disability, and provide all schools with educational resources to serve these children.

This 2015 article by Henry Nyombi, Open the doors of education for Africa’s disabled students, provides an insight into education in Africa:

Disabled Africans cheered a new hero last month when South Africa’s wheelchair tennis powerhouse Lucas Sithole defeated world No. 1 quadriplegic tennis player David Wagner of the United States at a Johannesburg tournament — demonstrating that in Africa, as elsewhere, physical disability is no bar to world greatness.

But the sad truth for many disabled young Africans is that the barriers to development start much closer to home, beginning in schools that do little to serve students with special needs. Deprived of education, these young people are at a disadvantage for life and often end up among the poorest of the poor.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Simple changes in teaching techniques, coupled with new, locally produced teaching materials and improved school design, can open the doors of education to all students regardless of physical disability. But African governments and international donors need to make this a priority, or risk leaving generations of disabled Africans behind.

Of the estimated 500 million persons with disabilities worldwide, 120 million to 150 million are children. Eighty percent of these children live in lower to lower-middle-income countries. Furthermore, recent research indicates that this number of disabled children is growing due to increasing poverty, armed conflict, poor child labor practices, violence and HIV and AIDS.

In Uganda, where I work, the number of people officially classified as disabled has been steadily rising from 4 percent in 2002 to 16 percent in 2011. Whether this rise is due to improved statistical data or to people incurring new disabilities is unclear, but what is clear is that this population — roughly 6 million people — is poorly served by public programs and particularly by schools.In the developing world, many disabled people drop out of school and pay the economic consequences for life. In Bangladesh, reductions in wage earnings attributed to lower levels of education among people with disabilities and their child caregivers were estimated to cost the economy $54 million per year. In Morocco, lost income due to exclusion from work was estimated to result in national level losses of 9.2 billion dirhams ($1.1 billion).

Many Ugandan schools feature only the most basic amenities, and do not have ramps or wide doorways that could enable a student in a wheelchair to get to class, while in the classroom desks are not configured to accommodate wheelchair users. School latrines, libraries and playgrounds are also usually inaccessible.

School instruction is also a formidable barrier. In Uganda, as in many African countries, the student teacher ratio is high, at almost 50 to 1. Teachers lecture from the head of the class and use a blackboard — no matter whether some students may have vision or hearing problems, or physical problems copying notes.

Pilot programs have shown that there is a better way. At my organization, the Youth with Physical Disability Development Forum, we have pioneered new, locally produced teaching materials that can help. A simple abacus, constructed out of poles set into a plywood box with rubber rings for counters, can bring basic math alive for students who cannot use a pen. A large card embossed with basic geometric shapes can help students with vision problems understand spatial relationships.Unsurprisingly, the available statistical information indicates an extremely low enrollment and completion rate of primary and secondary schools by children with disabilities. As few as 9 percent of children with disabilities of school age attend primary school, compared with a national average of 92 percent, and only 6 percent of these continue studying in secondary schools, according to a 2014 report by Uganda’s Ministry of Gender and Social Development.

Basic teacher training can also help. In our partner schools we are working with 60 individual teachers to explain the best ways to reach their students with disabilities. This has resulted in more one-on-one attention for these students, and has seen the dropout rate for students with disabilities fall by almost half.

This can make a real difference. In this year’s national examinations for children in primary school, 85 of the 135 students with special needs in our partner schools passed with top honors and the rest passed with secondary honors. These are students who now have the chance to continue their education and to realize their full potential. With a little work, we could guarantee that all disabled students in Uganda, and across Africa, share the same possibility.

The figures presented in Table 1 and 2 above offer a bleak picture of education for CWDs in Uganda. Table 1 presented the percentage of CWDs attending school. Table 2 asked what percentage of the pupils that are attending school will pass Grade 5. Only 35% of non disabled children achieve grade 5, for CWDs the figures are substantially lower. For instance only around 10% of pupils that have difficulty hearing will attain Grade 5. The figures presented in the Tables also show how barriers affect performance at school.

Education of Children with Disabilities in Uganda

This film shows the lives of various children with disabilities (CWDs) in Uganda. Disabilities vary, and so do the needs of the children affected. The video shows the importance of changing attitudes of society. Children are some of the most vulnerable members of society. Understanding the disadvantages they face, removing stigma and prejudice will lead to a better society.

The video was made by UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) and the government of Uganda. The poster says:

A video on CWDs in Uganda and the challenges they face in their day to day lives.

Education in Uganda: High Dropout Rates

Dropout rates from school are an important issue for persons with disabilities (PWDs). Several blog posts in the DiSU blog have mentioned dropout rates:

• Poverty: Because of poverty, "Students from low-income families are 2.4 times more likely to drop out than middle-income kids, and over 10 times more likely than high-income peers to drop out".
• Education and Disability: Uganda and the World: In Uganda, dropout rates are lower among children with visual and physical impairments than among those with mental impairments.
• Education and Disability: An Alternative Report to the UNCRPD: The 2009 Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) report cited rampant dropout rates of PWDs. It noted that many disabled children fall behind, and discouraged by repeated failure, dropout of school. 
• Education and Disability: Uganda: A lack of accessible information in schools has been indicated as one of the reasons for high dropouts in school and poor literacy rates for PWDs, resulting in limited employment opportunities.

What is the Ugandan perspective on children dropping out of school? In his 2014 thesis The realisation of human rights for disabled people in higher education in Uganda: a critical analysis drawing on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Paul Emong discusses the high rate of dropouts in relation to other statistics. Emong begins looking at over all statistics:

Uganda‘s population is estimated to be 34.1 million. 7.2% of it, according to Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) 2005/2006, is disabled people. The UNHS statistics show a significant percentage increase of disabled people from the National Population Census Report 2002 which stated that disabled people were 3.45% of the population. The increasing proportion of disabled people appears to be a global development. The World Report on Disability 2011 indicates that 15% of world population is disabled people. This is more than the long known estimates that 10% of the world population is disabled people.

Arguably, with specific reference to Uganda, given that the major disabling diseases such as polio have almost been eradicated and majority of the population been young people, the percentage margin between the Survey and Census statistics does not necessarily mean an increase in the population of disabled people, but rather an indicator of positive developments regarding disability inclusion in the country. For example, it implies a growing awareness of what disability is and also people are willing declaring that they have a disability, a sign of possible reduction of stigma on disability. It also shows that, some human attributes that were not thought to be a disability are now being considered a disability in Uganda. The albinos and little people are classic examples. These groups gained recognition as disabled people around mind 2000s when National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU) accepted them to be disabled people. The albinos and little people demonstrated that they are facing stigma and social exclusion a similar way like any other category of disability. The recognition of albinos and little people as disabled people is example that disability as a diverse and as well as an evolving concept. Another significant development that can be associated to this statistics is that the data collection tools by the National Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) are now updated to capture disability as diverse concept. This may further imply that overall; there is growing disability awareness in the Ugandan public sector, a significant sign that, the country is moving forward to recognising disability as a social, a human rights and a development issue.

However, in Uganda, it appears that the increasing awareness about disability is not reflected in education. If it is reflected, then, what disability discrimination means in education is lacking. To support that observation, I draw statistics on two indicators in education, namely literacy levels and school dropout rate. On literacy levels, evidence form statistics suggests that, the illiteracy levels among disabled people are higher than those who are not disabled. Because, the overall literacy rate in Uganda among children aged 10 years and above were 73% in 2009/10,8 yet 50% of disabled people in Uganda have not attended primary and secondary school at all. Implying that, more than 50% of disabled people are illiterate. The second observation is that, the dropout rate of disabled pupils at every level of education is higher than those pupils without disabilities. This is illustrated by comparing the percentages of disabled pupils who progressed from primary seven (P.7) to secondary level of education with the overall percentage of pupils who also progressed from P.7 to join secondary, using education statistics presented by the UBOS Statistical Abstract 2006 to 2010. The percentages are my own computations.

• In 2006, there were 468,436 pupils in their last year of primary education (primary seven –P.7), in 2007, those who joined secondary one (S.1) were 277,95011 i.e. 59% progressed to S.1. Implying that, 41% of the pupils who were in P.7 did not join S.1. For disabled pupils, in 2006, there were 12,855 disabled pupils recorded in P.7;12 in 2007, those who joined S.1 were 2,99013 i.e. 23% progressed to S.1. This implies that, nearly 77% of disabled pupils did not progress to the secondary level of education.15
• In 2007, there were 470,272 pupils in P.7; in 2008, those who joined S.1 were 291,797 i.e. 62% progressed to S.1.16 Meaning that, 38% of pupils did not make it to S.1. For disabled pupils, in 2007 there were 11,632 in P.7; in 2008, those who joined S.1 were 2,83018 i.e. 24% progressed to S.1. Meaning that, 76% of disabled pupils did not join S.1.
• In 2008, there were 515,729 in P.7 and those who joined S.1 in 2009 were 296,400 i.e. 57% progressed to S.1. Meaning that 43% of the pupils did not make it to S.1. For the case of disabled pupils, in 2008, there were 12,000 in P.7; in 2009, those who joined S.1 were 3,275 i.e. 27 progressed to S.1%. Meaning that, 73% of the disabled pupils failed to join S.1.
• In 2009, there 546,505 pupils in P.7 and in 2010 those who joined S.1 were 324,48724 i.e. 59% progressed to S.1. Meaning that, 41% of the pupils did not make up to S.1. For the case of disabled pupils, in 2009, there were 13,302 in P.7; in 2010, those who joined S.1 were 3,20825 i.e. 24% progressed to S.1. Meaning that, 76% of disabled pupils did not join S.1.

From the comparisons above, it can be concluded that less than 25% of disabled pupils in P.7 will join S.1. And, overall, about 60% of pupils in P.7 will join S.1. This means that, there is high school dropout rate among disabled pupils as compared to rest of the pupils and reflects the extent to which Uganda fails to ensure non-discrimination of disabled pupils in education.

To put the exclusion of disabled pupils in education in context, it is important to view it within the larger contextual factors surrounding the realisation of education as a right in Uganda as that helps to examine the extent to which the educational facilities can be made accessible and adaptable for every category of disabled people. In Uganda, it can be stated that about 70% of pupils that start primary education do not complete it (do not reach P.7). For the case of disabled pupils, it is about 75% of those who enrol in P.1 do not complete primary level o education. The tables below illustrate it.

Table 1: Showing the overall number of pupils recorded in primary one from 2001 to 2006 compared to those who completed primary education.

Year registered in P1	Number of Pupils	Expected Year of Completion of P7	Number of Pupils who sat P7	Percentage Dropout Rate
2001	1,704,766	2007	470,272	72
2002	1,847,160	2008	515,729	72
2003	1,914,893	2009	509,640	73
2004	1,837,277	2010	544,531	70
2005	1,712,420	2011	535,933	69
2006	1,763,284	2012	564,804	68

Table 2: Showing the number of disabled pupils recorded in primary one from 2002 to 2004 compared to those who reached primary seven.

P1	Number Children with Disability	P7	Number of Pupils with Disability	Percentage Dropout Rate
2002	48,063	2008	12,000	75
2003	51,965	2009	13,302	74
2004	44,866	2010	12,871	71

There is no authoritative empirical evidence from government why there is high school dropout rate at primary. What exist are reports by NGOs and government inquiries on the running of primary education providing some explanations on this matter. According to these reports, the causes of high school dropout rate in the country include: Inflation of enrolment figures by schools with a view of getting more government funding, this means that the number of ghost pupils is highest in P1 and lowest in P7; pupils study on empty stomachs as no provision for food on government budget and parents also do not fill this gap and this makes some dropout of school; early marriages, a common practice in Uganda; some are repeating some classes along the way and lack of adequate sitting space. But these also appear to be providing hypothetical reasons, thus, calling for a major government inquiry into the matter.

To disabled pupils, additional factors such as attitudes and knowledge, different opinions about disability inclusion and accessibility requirements also affect their education. This could explain the fact that, in Uganda, despite the emphasis of education policies on inclusive education and an established structure for training teachers in special needs, attaining inclusive education has remained a challenge. Because of such tangle of factors in education, Uganda is unable to meet the educational needs for disabled people so as to provide them education without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunities.
In broader perspective, this situation is not only limited to Uganda, but it is seen across many developing countries. Globally, despite general increasing enrolment in schools i.e. 86% of children get primary education, disabled people are still largely excluded. It is therefore, feared that fewer than 5% of disabled children are believed to reach the Education For All (EFA) goal of primary school completion and 40 million out of 115 million children (35%) out of school are disabled children. The most excluded are those with intellectual disabilities as they have not gained access to higher education.

Youth with Physical Disabilities Development Forum (YPDDF) trains parents on the importance of educatiing children with disabilities in an inclusive environment

Why do children dropout of school? Consider this article, consider the attitudes of these parents. To dropout these CWDs need to get to school. Despite there being laws and policies in place for the protection of the vulnerable, CWDs still face woeful inadequacies this 2013 article Denied a right to play reports:

Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s policy a mixed Grill: When Gorreti Kisa caught malaria one evening in 2005, her parents instinctively rushed her to a clinic near their home in the city suburb of Kalerwe. But a well-intended move turned into a nightmare as she has since been condemned to spend the rest of her life disabled.

“The clinic attendant gave her an injection, but it seems it wasn’t the right prescription,” says George Bizimana, Kisa’s father. “Her left buttock got swollen and the problem spread to the leg.”

For over half a year, Kisa was taken to almost all hospitals around Kampala, but it all came to nothing. Even when she healed from malaria, the leg remained unstable. It slimed and Kisa could only walk with the help of a stick.

Eight years later, Kisa, 13, sits at the verandah, looking down as she plays about with her walking stick. When I attempt to take her picture, her father sternly refuses, saying we would be subjecting her to ridicule from readers.

“People have seen her enough and scorned her enough. I will not allow you to take her picture,” says Bizimana.

Perhaps the father is right; neighbourhood parents have already made their verdict.

“Even people here don’t allow their children to play with her,” Bizimana says.

Kisa is a portrait of thousands of Children with Disabilities (CWDs) who live in isolation, denial and scorn from those around them. Daily Monitor recently reported about Lisa, a 14-year-old who spends her entire day tied to a tree. Lisa’s ‘crime’ is that she is deaf and can’t feed herself.

Lisa and Kisa are disabled, isolated and have had their share of the public ridicule. Ben Waburokho, an official at the Uganda Child NGO Network (UCRNN), says it is not just these two. He says thousands of CWDs are being hidden in bedrooms, regarded as a source of shame.

“Those who hide them say they (CWDs) cause shame to the family and a solution is to keep them away from public,” says Waburokho.

But all this is against the UN Convention on the Rights of People with disabilities, to which Uganda is signatory. Article 7 of the convention urges state parties to take all necessary measures to ensure that children with disabilities fully enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis with others.

Indeed, when the 2004 Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children (OVC) policy was adopted, many thought that challenges affecting vulnerable children would disappear.

That optimism was understandable. While the policy doesn’t mention CWDs but categorises them in general under the vulnerable children, its provisions appeared strong.

Vulnerable children should have access to education and health; should not be discriminated, impoverished, or regarded not as helpless victims. They should be treated as actors in their own right.

While a number of policies, like the Special Needs and Inclusive Education policy (2011) and the Universal Primary Education policy, have been put in place to supplement the 2004 OVC policy, progress is scanty.

Edson Ngirabakunzi, executive director of the National Union of Disabled persons of Uganda (Nudipu), says that there is commendable progress in areas like access to education and the health of persons with disabilities.

“We must accept that at least the government has done something. And we must agree that a lot needs to be done as well,” says Ngirabakunzi.

But issues such as discrimination, poverty, abuse and neglect have remained a baffling factor. Research shows that many CWDs have been abused sexually – with underage girls being impregnated while the perpetrators remain at large.

Official figures from Nudipu show that people with developmental disabilities are four to 10 times more likely to be victims of crime than able bodied people. Worse still, the vast majority of abuse toward those with disabilities is perpetrated by family members, peers or professional caregivers.

“There is still a long way to go, especially in terms of empowering the PWDs to fight perpetuators of crime on them,” says Ngirabakunzi. “They don’t have the ability to defend themselves. They just remain at the mercy of the abusers and it is unfortunate that the abusers walk free.”

He adds that Uganda’s biggest problem is not policies and laws, many of which are good, compared to other countries; the problem is implementation. CWDs face multiple suffering given the additional costs they have to incur to meet their needs. For instance, if CWDs are going to school they have to incur an additional cost for special scholastic materials. Many can’t afford these, which explains why the school dropout rates for CWDs are very high.

Official figures show that 90% of the PWDs don’t go beyond primary education, with only 2.2% said to have attained post-secondary level of education.According to Martin Kiiza, the secretary general of the National Council for Children, government achievements in protecting vulnerable children shouldn’t be underestimated. Kiiza says the government is a signatory to international conventions committing it to protect children sends a clear signal that there are inherent efforts to protect children.

“First, the 2004 policy is a guiding tool for advocacy. It is a guiding document that is supposed to inform laws and what should be implemented,” says Kiiza.

“The government has very much done some work. It ratified the UN convention, put in place institutions like National Council for Children (NCC), ministry of Gender and Labour Development – all advocating for children rights and protection in whatever state they are in,” Kiiza argues.

Paper tiger: Yet when pressed, Kiiza concedes that there is a problem when it comes to implementing child friendly policies.

“Implementation is still our biggest challenge. The benefits of all these policies have not trickled down to the local people that these policies are supposed to benefit.
“That’s why for instance materials that the disabled children use are still so expensive and many can’t continue with school. As NCC, we are determined to see that all materials used by the CWDs in school are subsidized this year,” says Kiiza.

Led by NCC, about 150 disabled children presented a petition to the speaker of Parliament last year asking the government to address their issues. They protested the violation of their fundamental rights.

Among other issues, they cited the lack of respect for them from the family, communities and fellow children – as a result, the disabled children do get the care and protection they are entitled to like children.

All this happens despite the existence of the 2004 OVC policy. With the petition to Parliament, the children were telling the powers that be that “you are letting us down”. It remains to be seen if MPs can do something to more effectively help children like Lisa and Kisa to come out of their isolation and discrimination.

In Uganda, around 70% of pupils starting primary school will not complete their education. This alone is an enormous problem. Figures for children with disabilities (CWDs) are scanty. It is questionable whether all CWDs entitled to education start P1. Emong estimates that the number of CWDs attending school may be as low as 10-20%. This surely is a scandal and a vast human rights crime.