SCA kickoff education pilot project for Children with Disabilities in Yakawlang district of Bamyan province
As education for Children with Disabilities was a concern for parents of the children in Yakawlang district of Bamyan province and as Children with Disabilities are members of the communities and as they have the right to access education like normal children. Hence, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) kickoff education pilot project for Children with Disabilities in Yakawlang-Bamyan.
The established pilot project for Children with Disabilities in Bamyan province initially has two Inclusive Education classes; the first class is in Yakwalang-1 district next to Gazak school in SCA resource center. This class consists10 Children with Disabilities, and have two kinds of impairment (hearing and intellectual). The class is located 18 km far from Yakawlang-1 city.
The second class is in Sabzdara boys’ high school which is supported by SCA and located in the Yakwalang-2 district. This class is comprised of 12 Children with Disabilities that have hearing and intellectual impairment. The class is 25 km away from the district location.
Two Inclusive Education Teachers (IETs) and one Inclusive Education Resource Person (IERP) teaches Children with Disabilities In both classes.
Inclusive Education-Pilot project of Bamyan province was officially started through a ribbon cutting ceremony in Gazak Resource Center. The ceremony was attended by 60 individuals including Wardak Regional Management Office (WRMO) staff, Yakawlang District Education Directorate staff, Children with Disabilities and their parents, Inclusive Education Teachers, Inclusive Education Resource Person, Community Based Education (CBE) teachers and community elders.
“SCA has been the only source and organization which has provided education opportunities even before and during the Taliban regime.” Said Samad Khan Samadi, Yakawlang-1- District Education Director to the audiences. Mr. Samad Khan explained benefits of education and requested parents to pay more attention to their children’s education and specially to the education of Children with Disabilities.
He said: “ I congratulate this project to all people of Bamayn and extend my special thanks to Swedish Committee for Afghanistan for starting this project and request that they should expand the project to all over Bamyan province.”
On the occasion SCA Education Project Manager Mr. Abdul Jabar Baser said:
“For the time being, 22 families of Children with Disabilities are direct beneficiaries of the SCA newly established project and it is expected that it will cover more Children with Disabilities in the future.”
Mr. Baser called on the parents that they are responsible to strive more for their disabled children education. He congratulated the start of the project and mentioned that it will be expanded to the remote areas of the province.
Chiragh Ali Shikwa, one of the representative parents of Children with Disabilities’ on the occasion spoke to the audience, he said: “parents have more responsibility to pay full attention for the education of their Children with Disabilities”. Mr. Shikwa, on the occasion expressed his full commitment to support SCA during each phase of the implementation process of the pilot education project in the society.