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Food security in Uganda set to improve over coming months | Katine | guardian.co.uk
Limited access to education and support is hindering the achievements of the 1.8 million deaf and blind people living in Uganda, reports the Daily Monitor.
The Uganda School of the Deaf, the oldest institution of its kind in the country, caters for only 200 students and its work is hampered by a lack of infrastructure or reading materials.
Headteacher Juliet Tumuhairwe told the Monitor that the school had only 23 professional teachers. "There are no staff quarters, desks are few, textbooks are almost not there and there is a need for of improvement of teacher's salary," she said, adding that most pupils drop out of education after primary year seven because there are no suitable schools for them to go on to.
Coupled with the resource shortage is the prejudice and lack of support from teachers and society in general.
"The teachers could beat us every day so that we can pick up what they are teaching," said Florence Mukasa, the gender and theatre coordinator for the Uganda National Association of the Deaf (UNAD). Alex Ndeezi, the MP for people with disabilities, added that people with disabilities also struggled to communicate in public places and are seldom offered employment.
In Katine, the rural sub-county in north-east Uganda being supported by Guardian readers' donations and Barclays, the African Medical and Research Foundation (Amref) is promoting inclusive education for girls, children with disabilities, orphans and vulnerable children.
Limited access to education and support is hindering the achievements of the 1.8 million deaf and blind people living in Uganda, reports the Daily Monitor.
The Uganda School of the Deaf, the oldest institution of its kind in the country, caters for only 200 students and its work is hampered by a lack of infrastructure or reading materials.
Headteacher Juliet Tumuhairwe told the Monitor that the school had only 23 professional teachers. "There are no staff quarters, desks are few, textbooks are almost not there and there is a need for of improvement of teacher's salary," she said, adding that most pupils drop out of education after primary year seven because there are no suitable schools for them to go on to.
Coupled with the resource shortage is the prejudice and lack of support from teachers and society in general.
"The teachers could beat us every day so that we can pick up what they are teaching," said Florence Mukasa, the gender and theatre coordinator for the Uganda National Association of the Deaf (UNAD). Alex Ndeezi, the MP for people with disabilities, added that people with disabilities also struggled to communicate in public places and are seldom offered employment.
In Katine, the rural sub-county in north-east Uganda being supported by Guardian readers' donations and Barclays, the African Medical and Research Foundation (Amref) is promoting inclusive education for girls, children with disabilities, orphans and vulnerable children.