Region One includes differently-abled in Education Month march, rally

About 100 persons from various communities in Region One participated in a recent march and rally to mark the start of Education Month activities, the United States Peace Corps said in a press release.

The group said it was pleased to assist the region’s efforts to ensure increased development of inclusive education systems. “Inclusive education is really about fostering an education system that is accessible to children of all ability levels and embraces the participation of the whole community in the education process,” Peace Corps volunteer Nathaniel Stewart said in an address to participants.

The march and rally were organised by the Regional Department of Education and celebrated this year’s theme ‘Transforming the Nation Through Inclusive Educa-tion’. The programme included remarks from education officers, a banner decorating activity and games designed for children of all ages and abilities.

Students marching prior to the rally

In order to make the event as comprehensive as possible, teachers from the local Special Education Needs (SEN) cluster were consulted to help identify children with disabilities to participate. This is not the first time children with disabilities were included in the region’s events, the release said. As the SEN teacher cluster steadily grows, so has the awareness of people with disabilities in the area.

Over the least two years the region has hosted similar events for Rehabilitation Month that celebrates people of all abilities. The SEN is supported by the Regional Education and Region Health Departments. “Some people have visible challenges like trouble walking, while many people struggle with invisible challenges like learning disabilities.

Everyone has their own challenges they have to face,” president of the local SEN cluster Rayann Chu said.