Maseru, Sept.09 — Special education experts are leading a five-day workshop in Maseru with local teachers to tackle deep-seated obstacles stalling the progress of students with special needs in Lesotho classrooms.
The intensive five-day professional development session brings educators together to confront the harsh realities of implementing inclusive education. It started on Monday and will end on Friday.
In an interview, Ministry of Education and Training, Special Education Manager Mrs. ‘Mapaballo Setlaba said in collaboration with team from Kenya they have developed Teacher Inclusive Training Manual saying from last week, they had master trainers workshop and this week they are having training of trainers in which expectation is for trainees to part skills with other teachers in their different schools and districts.
She said the comprehensive manual is designed to standardize the inclusion of children with disabilities and unify how information is disseminated to them.
The new framework aims to eliminate disparities across learning environments, ensuring that every student receives consistent support and accessible communication tailored to their needs.
She said the initiative addresses a long-standing challenge in special education: the inconsistency of inclusion practices between different schools and districts. “Without centralized guidelines, children with disabilities often experience varying levels of accommodation and resource accessibility”, she said.
Moreover, Mrs. Setlaba explained that the drafted manual establishes a clear, universal protocol. She said it outlines mandatory practices for classroom integration, specialized teacher training and the allocation of assistive technologies.
By creating a uniform standard, the Special Education Manager hopes to guarantee that a child’s right to a high-quality, inclusive education does not depend on their specific school assignment.
She noted that the core focus of the manual is the systematic dissemination of information.
“Recognizing that traditional communication methods often leave students with sensory, cognitive, or physical disabilities behind, the guide introduces standardized formats for all educational materials”, she said.
On the other hand, she said the challenge is not confined to school walls. She said deep-rooted societal stigmas surrounding disability continue to keep children out of school entirely saying in some communities, families hide children with disabilities due to shame or a belief that educating them is a futile investment.
Furthermore, the Special Education Manager called for intensive, community-led advocacy campaigns to shift mindsets. “Education is a fundamental human right for every Mosotho child. We need parents, traditional leaders and communities to understand that disability is not inability”, she emphasised.
Special education in Lesotho focuses on transitioning from segregated special schools to inclusive education supported by the Ministry of Education and Training and organizations like UNICEF
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