SIGHT SAVERS ZAMBIA TO SPEND K240 MILLION ON TRAINING TEACHERS FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Sight Savers Zambia will spend over K240 million on the training of 16 teachers specialized to teach Children with Special Needs in community school.

Sight Savers have partnered with Zambia Institute of Special Education (ZAMISE) and other stakeholder to facilitate the training of teachers in special education and deploy them to community schools that have disabled children.

Sight Savers Regional Government relations Officer Mutinta Hamoonga disclosed in Lusaka that the two year course for teachers has been sponsored by the European Union.

Ms. Hamoonga explained that her organization has picked two candidates each from 8 districts to make a total of 16 who will undergo training and later be bonded to community schools where they will be expected to be teaching.

Ms. Hamoonga noted that government and community school in the country have been lacking trained teachers in special education hence the decision by her organization to take up the challenge to offer training.

Meanwhile, the Zambia Open Community School (ZOCS) has started constructing a school of excellence in Shangombo district in Western province to offer education to children with disabilities.

ZOCS Executive Director Harriet Miyato disclosed that so far K50 million has been spent on the project and a similar amount will be spent from the area member of Parliament.

She said the School of Excellence will have facilities accommodate children with disabilities who could not be absorbed in regular schools due to their physical challenges.

She said a similar school was constructed in Mongu in Western province at a cost of about K100 million.