The Provision of Special Education in Zimbabwe: Realities, Issues and Challenges

The research study explored the issues, realities and challenges regarding the provision of special needs education in Zimbabwe. Specific constructs studied were parental involvement, the nature and scope of the curricula and the general strengths of specialist teachers. The study was qualitative in nature though certain aspects of quantitative research were used such as the questionnaire and descriptive statistics. Respondents were drawn from 8 of the 10 provinces in Zimbabwe. They included 65 teachers, 40 school heads as well as 26 parents. Questionnaires were used as the primary data collection tool. The results show that parents are fairly involved in school activities. However, parents were mainly involved in administrative issues rather than in making decisions about the education of their children. While the curriculum for learners with disabilities was found to be satisfactory it lacked components that ensure the smooth transition of learners with disabilities into adulthood and employment. Lastly the study found that there are challenges faced in the recruitment of specialist teachers; shortage of trained teachers; refusal by trained teachers to teach special classes; centralized recruitment system; and poor incentives. The study recommends that all teachers colleges train teachers how to deal with children with disabilities and that a retention allowance be reintroduced for teachers of children with impairments. It is also recommended that parents of children with disabilities be empowered to actively participate in valued activities such as the design of Individual Education Programmes. Schools sign contracts with parents in which the later undertook to participate in all the outlined activities. Lastly the study recommended that there must be a clear cut transitional policy which specifies the paths to be followed by children with disabilities in school to enable them to move swiftly into adulthood and employment.