The Inclusive Education team of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) in Vanuatu has been working in addressing the needs of children with disabilities through the radio programme, Homskul Givhan.
This radio programme was created in April 2020 by the MoET to support learning of children while home schooling.
Learning remains challenging across the country due to the damages of the Tropical Cyclone Harold and the ash fall in Tanna. Yet, for children, education is the key to a brighter future.
According to the observations in the inclusive education pilot schools, the situation is even worst for children with disabilities, most of whom begin school late, and for whom education is also the only hope for inclusion.
“Children with disabilities are more affected since they might belong to the population at risk for COVID-19 depending on their disability. The Ministry of Education and Training Inclusive Education Policy recognized their special learning needs; however, parents and communities at most times are not equipped or trained to support the learning of children with disabilities”, said Mrs. Marie Jonah, the MoET Programmes Coordinator.
In consultation with the inclusive education teacher of Freshwota school and Inclusive Education technical advisers from Vanuatu Education Support Programme (VESP), the MoET developed the content for fourteen radio programmes to support the learning continuity of children with disabilities. The content of the fourteen radio programmes aims at empowering parents in home schooling and encourages the learning of their children depending on their disability. It is also an opportunity for parents and teachers across Vanuatu to learn more about the various disabilities and the various ways to improve children’s learning.
The content is used by the MoET In-Service Unit team in charge of the creation of the radio programme of Homskul Givhan. Listeners can listen to the good advices over the next weeks at the normal hours of the programme, at 5pm every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on Radio Vanuatu.
The initiative was led by the MoET, with the support of the Vanuatu Education Support Programme, funded by the Australian Government.
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