IMPACT OF INSECURITY ON SCHOOLING AMONG SPECIAL NEED CHILDREN IN KAMELOI, WEST POKOT COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The purpose of the research study was to investigate the challenges parents of children with disabilities from the pastoral communities’ face in conflict zones. The area of the study was Kameloi Mixed integrated primary school in Lelan ward. The study was guided by two theories; Humanistic and Rational choice theories. The two theories testify on the' real self 'and ability to choose between two conflicting issues in life: providing security and educational needs of their children with disabilities. The population studied comprises parents of children with disabilities sampled out using snow ball method, and purposively selecting special teachers and regular teachers from Kameloi Mixed Integrated primary school in Lelan ward. The pilot study was conducted in Kameloi mixed Integrated primary school with one special teacher, two regular teachers and five parents of children with disabilities in and out of school. The instruments used were questionnaires, interview schedule and observational check list which were treated with utmost confidentially while observing ethical values. The results were presented in form of frequencies and percentages, tables, pie- charts and graphs. The findings indicated that the prevailing societal attitudes about disability arise from myth, superstition and selfblame. The intensity of insecurity and cattle rustling influence the decision to enroll, retain and cause closure of schools and sometimes learners with disabilities drop out of school. There is need to involve parents of children with disabilities in the provision of special education given that parental support is a critical ingredient in addressing insecurity concerns and fulfilling schooling needs of children with disabilities. Other recommendations include the need to initiate policy changes to bridge the finding gap that forces parents to be overburdened with financial obligation to complement the FPE ; Strengthening the links between schools and societies to enable families and the communities to participate in and contribute to the educational process of children with disabilities.; design effective and flexible curricular framework that are accommodative to local needs and situations; diversity pedagogical practices and mount peace initiatives , deploy security personnel and conduct regular disbarment exercise s to prevent incidents of insecurity that tend to interfere with the schooling needs of children with disabilities. Other remedies include the introduction of improved low cost boarding schools, addressing poverty, financial and training special teachers, creating awareness on disability and facilitation of parents support group.