6.2bn/- aid tools released for inclusive education

DODOMA: THE government has announced major steps to strengthen the early identification system for learners with special needs across all levels of education, including the rollout of vehicles and assistive teaching tools valued at more than 6.2bn/-.

Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adolf Mkenda, said in Dodoma on Monday that the move reflects the government’s commitment to inclusive and equitable education as directed by national policy and international conventions.

The Minister launched four vehicles worth 904.84m/- for school quality assurance officers and distributed assistive learning equipment valued at 5.3bn/- to teachers, trainers and trainee teachers with disabilities countrywide.

He said the initiative follows Tanzania’s obligations under global frameworks such as the Salamanca Statement (1994), Dakar Framework for Action (2000), the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) and SDG 4 on inclusive, quality education.

The equipment including laptops, braille devices, hearing aids, wheelchairs and digital learning tools will be allocated to 309 primary schools, 629 secondary schools and 10 teachers’ colleges across all 184 councils. Prof Mkenda said the tools will remove environmental barriers, improve teaching methods and enhance academic performance for learners and educators with disabilities.

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He also reminded beneficiaries to use and maintain the tools responsibly, noting that the government recently invested 12.5bn/- in digital assistive technologies for higher learning institutions.

Prof Mkenda said the distribution of vehicles and assistive devices is part of a broader national effort to ensure that no learner or educator is left behind due to disability or environmental limitations.

He said the government has already identified individual needs among teachers, trainers and trainee teachers with disabilities, and the new equipment will significantly improve their ability to teach, communicate and participate fully in academic activities.

The items distributed include 688 laptops, 19 electronic braille note touch devices, 377 digital voice recorders, 196 tablets, six embossers, seven sound amplifiers, four visual advanced assessment toolkits, four advanced hearing assessment kits, five Duxbury braille translator software packages and 130 Perkins braillers.

Others are 3,000 braille sheets, 91 universal braille kits, 2,290 embosser braille paper boxes, 121 hearing aids, 11 crutches, 3,556 bottles of lotion, 86 hats, two automated wheelchairs, three manual wheelchairs and seven white canes.

The beneficiaries include 342 persons with physical disabilities, 310 with visual impairments, 155 who are deaf, 90 persons with albinism, 158 with partial hearing loss, 63 trainee teachers and 20 trainers with disabilities.

“These devices will empower teachers and trainers with disabilities to deliver quality education and will improve learning outcomes for students, particularly those with special needs,” Prof Mkenda said.

He explained that the tools are expected to remove barriers to accessibility, improve classroom interactions, strengthen assessment methods and promote independence among learners with disabilities.

The Minister reminded quality assurance officers and all beneficiaries to ensure that the vehicles and devices are used strictly for their intended purposes, and that regular reports on their condition and usage are submitted in accordance with established guidelines.

Prof Mkenda also underscored the government’s continued investment in enhancing special needs education.

In the 2024/25 financial year, the government purchased and distributed digital teaching and learning aids worth 12.5bn/- to support students with special needs in higher learning institutions. The equipment included 503 wheelchairs, 55 tricycles, 172 tablets, 651 laptops, 255 tablets, four advanced toolkits, four advanced hearing toolkits, 91 universal toolkits, 60 Hansonet devices and 89 Seika braille-sense devices.

In addition, the government provided specialised training to 21,898 stakeholders in the education sector. The training targeted university leaders, portfolio readers, teachers with disabilities, trainers, lecturers, deans of students, ESRAC experts, members of SHIVYAWATA and other disability groups, school quality assurance officers and special needs officers at district and regional levels.

More than 10,672 university students without disabilities and 3,232 students with special needs were also trained on inclusive learning approaches.

According to Prof Mkenda, the training focused on identifying learners with special needs, improving inclusive classroom practices and enhancing the use of assistive technologies in learning institutions across the country.

“The government will continue implementing policies and programmes that ensure inclusive, accessible and equitable education for all learners,” he said.