Purpose of the Case Study
The purpose of this case study is to relate part of the three year walk to appropriate education for six young children with visual impairments in low socio-economic peri-urban formal and informal settlements – or ‘communities’ – in Zambia. The part of the on-going walk described here extends over three years and included the six children, their families, their teachers and their community. The Zambia Inclusive Education Programme (ZIEP) provided support for the children’s sight assessment; supply of visual correctional instruments; information, counseling and motivation to their families and communities as well as to the teachers in the school(s). The steps from the assessment, to (a) a school for Children with Special Educational Needs (CSEN) for two blind children (Malaika Special School) and (b) a mainstream basic school for the other four children, are described. Challenges come across on the way counted in parental fears, community attitudes and physical school accessibility. Practical outcomes included different placements for the two children with blindness and recommendations for prioritised parent participation and individual approaches to community-based collaborations. Recommendations are given for research and for scaling up such a programme through government organs.
Ethical considerations
This case study falls into the realm of reflective practice (Schön 1995), rather than a formally planned research study. The six children’s stories developed along with each other, illustrating the ZIEP team’s consideration to the importance of sharing the walk with others in this case study report. The fact that the children described here happen to be girls, is spontaneous and not at all illustrative of the ZIEP intervention gender campaign’s focus, or the team’s general client profile. In order to request consent from the children and their parents to write up this case study, we met with each child and one of her parents. All children and their parents understood the purpose and process of the case study report. All girls wanted their real names to be used rather than fictitious names. Each of the stories is testifying to the different strategies employed by the programme. These include inclusiveness of the teachers, involvement of the parents and community, the special schools and the equipment provided by the ZIEP.
The Three Year Walk
The first question we should ask ourselves is what the ideal situation is in inclusive education. According to Stainback and Stainback (1988), an inclusive school is one that educates all students in the mainstream; and provides them with appropriate facilities and materials. Have we contributed towards this walk? Yes we have in so many different areas that include networking, social inclusion and many more. The six children described in this report live in low socio-economic communities of Mazabuka, Monze, Choma and Kalomo districts of Southern Province of Zambia. Their situations and experiences of upbringing vary from one to the other. This report will endeavor to show case the details about each child. The walk begins;
Name: Idah Imasiku
Sex: Female
Age: 15
District: Mazabuka
Community: Nkabika
Challenge: Refractive Error/ Myopia
Idah Imasiku is a brilliant girl aged Fifteen (15). She sat for the Junior Secondary Leaving Exams in grade Nine (9) at St Patrick’s Secondary School in Mazabuka District in November 2014. She resides with both her parents in Nkabika Township in the Nakambala Sugar Company residential community. It’s a well-planned high density area that is as old as the sugar plantation. She has had challenges with her sight for more than ten years now. Her parents only discovered Idah’s situation when she was Five (5). They sought for clinical support from the local medical facilities. Idah has had an awful experience of allergic irritation in her eyes coupled by inability to see objects clearly from a distance. She has suffered this from her tender age. She endured a lot of discomfort and short sightedness. According to her mother she always liked watching Television from a very close range. This troubled the Imasikus so much because little Idah had a lot of challenges interacting easily with her peers. Her mother said……
‘My daughter had so much trouble with her eyes from as early as five years of age. In our family we don’t have any sight problems. None of her siblings experienced sight challenges. We tried what we could at our local hospital but it seemed as though there was no great improvement. My young brother at one time took her to be assessed in Lusaka where she was prescribed with a lens. We were happy because our daughter was excited that she could see and read. However, this did not last for long because this precious lens broke even before it could greatly perform its wonders of aiding Idah in her reading and easy interaction with peers.it was really sad because she got back to the trouble with seeing. We are grateful to you people because my daughter can now read with no trouble. Her performance in school improved drastically. Previously she used to complain a lot of her not seeing well but not anymore. As a family and the community we are grateful for your gesture.’
When we spoke with Idah she had this to say;
‘I really appreciate the support given to me in the provision of glasses. They have really helped me so much even in my performance in class. I used to sit very close to the chalkboard in order for me to see clearly; I experienced severe headaches and friends used to mock me, this contributed to my irregular attendance at school. Even when I received these glasses one of my friends got them and dropped them to the floor so they got cracked. This gift from you people should be extended to many children who are missing classes because of sight problems. I sat for my grade 9 exams and sure to make it to grade 10. I now can see very well and able to study. Even my teachers can confirm with you about the change in my confidence and performance.’
The School Manager at St Patricks’ Secondary School, Mr. Phiri, testified in assertion on the progress Idah has made in her class performance. He did mention that she had problems reading before the set of glasses was given to her. He wished that this programme could have been extended to many more children especially the most vulnerable.
Our walk with this child confirmed literature emphasising the need to incorporate a parent- or family-centred approach (Dunst, Bruder, Trivette & Hamby, 2006; Turnbull, Summers, Turnbull et al. 2007); to assist the relevant teachers towards a positive attitude to inclusive education and to build strong interdisciplinary collaborations (Silverman, Hong & Trepanier- Street 2010). Here, it resulted in different outcomes for the child; who eventually integrated well in the mainstream school in her area. The teachers and the parents are so supportive to Idah’s ability to overcome her hurdles of bearing critical refractive error.
Makokwa Sisters
Name: Makokwa Diana
Age: 8 years
Sex: Female
Community: Habulile
District: Kalomo Chief Chikanta’s area
Challenge: Total Blindness
Name: Makokwa Lififi
Age: 11 years
Sex: Female
Community: Habulile
District: Kalomo Chief Chikanta’s area
Challenge: Total Blindness
These two girls, part of whose respective walks is described here, live with their mother, father and siblings, in an informally constructed dwelling (or ‘ramshackle’) in a low-socioeconomic, village settlement in the rural district of Kalomo in Chikanta Chiefdom, in the Southern Province of Zambia. According to the mother both the children were born normal but they developed sight challenges at 3 months. Lififi and Diana look brilliant and their eyes do not look so much damaged but they can’t see anything. We recommend for more tests on these girls’ eyes. This disheartening experience has been tormenting the Makokwas. They had tried seeking medical help once but didn’t receive what they expected. They devastation is written all over the mother’s face.
The walk began when we were sensitizing Chief Chikanta and his headmen on the ZIEP activities and intent of existence. The School Manager for Habulile Basic School was present at this meeting and made known to us the situation of the girls (two sisters) and expressed keen interest in wanting them to be in school. The children come from a very impoverished background and family that cannot afford sponsoring the girls to a specialized school. According to her, she visited the family and helped the parents build hope that something can be done for the children. Our communication with the School Manager continued and as CHILDHOPE ZAMBIA we also began to look around for the inclusion of these children. The local educationist would visit the girls and at times walk with them to the Early Childhood Centre at her school. Though not formally enrolled but at every given opportunity they would interact with the peers at the centre. This arrangement was not consistent but just once in a while. Both children are independent in feeding, toileting, communicating effectively and interacting confidently with their siblings, peers and parents.
The parents got aware of the ZIEP and were interested to change the welfare of their children. One of the key components of the ZIEP was to develop networks of players in inclusive education. One of our networks in Southern Province is Malaika Special School in Mazabuka. As CHILDHOPE ZAMBIA, on behalf of all ZIEP players spoke with the special school management seeking for places for the girls. In affirmation, the girls have gotten school places at Malaika beginning January 2015. All necessary arrangements will be put in place to ensure these two sisters access education. The mother’s and the girls’ wish is to be in school and be able to interact with peers.
It has been wonderful to see these two young children look forward to access education and be able to settle into an environment where they will confidently learn with their peers. The process of getting these children to where they are today has been a dynamic one with many detours, and it has been vital for all parties to remain flexible and open while working towards the common goal of doing what is best for the individual child in the context of their family. It is and will be essential to provide support for the children, their families, and their school which they will most likely attend for the future. The hope is to reinforce the educational process by determining, supporting and sustainably meeting each of the two children’s special needs. This will include the supportive monitoring of group dynamics and social interaction throughout the process.
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Name: Choolwe Mudenda
Age: 20
Sex: Female
Community: Habulile
District: Kalomo
Chief Chikanta’s area
Challenge: Refractive Error/ Myopia
The increase in poverty has exacerbated the problem of access. Many of the poor are unable to afford even the low costs associated with participation in schools. The result is an increasing number of children who do not enroll in school, who do not complete the primary cycle, or who are withdrawn early by their parents. Cultural and social practices, particularly those affecting girls, also contribute to this failure to make adequate use of existing facilities for education.
Choolwe Mudenda is a 20 year old girl who sat for the Junior Secondary Leaving Exams in November 2014 at Habulile Basic School of Kalomo District in Chikanta Chiefdom. She has had challenges with her sight from an early stage of her life. She delayed enrolling into grade 1 because of the distance to school and her inability to see from afar. The itch irritation in her eyes coupled with short sightedness contributed also, to her delayed enrolment into grade 1. She started grade one at 10 and repeated her grade 9 once. Like many other rural children especially girls, Choolwe with her sight challenge suffered scorn on her walk to accessing education. She was diagnosed with short sightedness or Myopia.
With a smile on her face as a sign of sigh and relief she narrates her experiences with the intervention from ZIEP. ‘It was not easy to attend class especially when you cannot see with easy what is written on the chalk board’, she began. ‘This forced me to always sit in front very close to the chalkboard. My friends were laughing at me and thought that I was blind because of bumping into things. It’s not easy in our society when you can’t see very well. When I was given these glasses they really helped build my confidence as a person. I began to see very well from afar and even began to study hard for I could easily read from books and the chalkboard. My performance in class improved tremendously. I will not repeat this grade again because without doubt I’ll make it to grade 10. My mother is appreciative of the support that ZIEP gave to me and I hope you’ll assist many more vulnerable children like me so that we can meet our dreams.’
During the discussion her class teacher was quick to indicate that sight was a great resource to every learner for it enables a learner to study and analyze information very well. He also stated that the attitudes, behaviours, teaching methods and curricula needed to be addressed, focusing on individual strengths and needs of children in order to maximise participation and to minimise barriers to learning. This is in line with the inclusive education principles of meeting every child’s need within the education system and acknowledging the differences in the ways in which children learn. The training and sensitisation CHILDHOPE-ZAMBIA provided to the teachers in the district also aided in their being empathetic of inclusive education.
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Name: Memory Muchindu
Age: 11
Sex: Female
Community: Sikabbubba
District: Choma
Chief Singani’s area
Challenge: Low Vision
Memory Muchindu is a single orphan who was once admitted to St Mulumba Special School with a view that she was blind because in the regular class she was unable to see what was written on the chalkboard. As you may be aware, Low Vision is difficult to diagnose as people have been counted among the blind when in actual fact it was LV. She is an eleven year old girl who is doing her grade 3 at Sikabbubba Community School in Choma. The girl has serious sight challenges but thank God for the ZIEP intervention that saw Memory receive magnifying glasses for reading and seeing from afar. This equipment has assisted the girl in her ability to read. Looking at this young girl and interacting with her will showcase deep levels of emotional instability. The girl still has a deep fear of being separated from her mother and detests been taken to special learning environment. Her mother has played a very pivotal role in the child’s life and education. The mother attested as to how the magnifying glasses have helped her daughter in many ways. Her daughter who has been shying away from friends in the past has begun to interact with ease. She wished that her daughter would continue getting support with sight assessment from time to time. This can be associated to research that state that; “Most parents are weighed down with feelings of hostility and shame, denial, projection of blame, guilt, grief, withdrawal, rejection, and sometimes, with feelings of acceptance. Some parents also experience helplessness, feelings of inadequacy, anger, and shock whereas others go through periods of disbelief, depression, and self-blame” (Gupta & Singhal, 2004, P 23; Deal, 2003)
The stigma children with infirmities experience due to negative attitudes and labelling can have serious consequences on their self-perception which may lead to poor attendance or performance in school. Substantial evidence reveals that children with physical disabilities often experience a hostile, rejection and social uncertainty that hinders school attendance (Dennis, Harper & Peterson, 2001; EENET, 2001). The girl has at least been attending school better than before. The sensitisation that was given to the community made them aware that all children have rights. It has been established that parental involvement in the education of children enhances performance and attendance to school. The ZIEP emphasized on the importance of community involvement and parental participation in the education of their children. Memory is one of the many beneficiaries of support from both the ZIEP strategy and the community involvements.
The awareness of the child being first and foremost part of the family and then part of the community and other social networks, including peers and the families of peers (Garbarino & Ganzel 2000; Pillay & Di Terlizzi 2009), facilitated in the ignition of light in the life of this young and vulnerable child Memory Muchindu. We are very positive that this girl requires professional counseling to grow more personal confidence.
The other case to be brought out from the experience with Memory is the importance of counseling services for the children with special education needs
Name: Astrida Miyoba
Age: 19
Sex: Female
Community: Ntambo Basic School
District: Monze
Chief Mwanza’s area
Village: Namulomya
Challenge: Low Vision
Astrida Miyoba dropped off in grade 9 after falling pregnant. She now has a baby and lives with the father to her child. The mother had intended that her daughter continues school but alas the girl preferred marriage to education. According to her mother, her daughter seemed to have been carried away by passion at the expense of getting into school.
Astrida enrolled late into grade one. She began school at 9 and was 18 when in grade 9. This seems to be very common among children with sight challenges. 19 is quite an advanced age for one to be in grade 9. Children learn about themselves and construct their own identity within the context of their families and communities. ‘Developing and maintaining identity is closely connected with wider processes of social inclusion or exclusion and is structured by the social, cultural and political context. The importance of gender, racial/ethnic, religious and linguistic identity is widely recognized (Morrow and Connolly, 2006).
Children learn about themselves and construct their own identity within the context of their families and communities. This includes their relationships with people, places and things and the actions and responses of others. Identity is not fixed. It is shaped by experiences. When children have positive experiences they develop an understanding of themselves as valued and respected, and feel a sense of belonging. However we also have to understand how larger societal factors also can impact children’s development of a positive and self-identity or a negative and with low self- identity. Maybe the intervention came too late for her.