Patrick Suubi

Towards Inclusive Schools in Rwanda: the Experience of Gahini High School Patrick Suubi

Inclusive education and its perceived role in bringing about more inclusive and caring societies and improving the educational and social achievements of learners with special educational needs has been widely discussed. Rwanda?s first experiment with inclusive education started in 1997 when the first students with visual impairment ever to have a secondary school education joined Gahini High School. Given the generally negative attitudes towards disability in Rwanda, the inexperience of general school teachers in meeting the learning needs of students with special needs in education and the possible effects of vision loss on educational and social outcomes, it was important that the experiences of students with visual impairment in this first experiment at inclusion be investigated for purposes of improving practice both in this school and any other schools that would wish to take the inclusive route. This book outlines a study conducted to explore the experiences of students with low vision in Gahini High School.