Fort Portal City school authorities who operate specialized units are expressing concerns about a shortage of teaching staff, diminished funding and delayed financial support, which they say is seriously hampering their operations.

Since the introduction of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1997, Canon Apollo Demonstration School and St Peter and Paul Primary School have been designated as Special Education Centers in Fort Portal City, Kabarole District.

The Principal of Canon Apollo Demonstration School, Mr George Kituku, said the school had 73 students with special needs, including deaf and mentally retarded children from Kabarole and neighboring districts of Tooro and by Rwenzori.

He said the school currently has only two teachers for students with special needs, although the required ratio is one teacher for every three students. He added that three former specialist teachers were transferred without replacement, leaving the school overwhelmed.

“We are seriously understaffed, with only two teachers for all these students. Due to the inclusion policy, students with special needs are often mixed with others for some classes, and general teachers are not trained to meet their needs. Some students even need sign language interpreters to understand what they are being taught,” Mr. Kituku explained.

He added: “If you are transferring a special needs teacher from a school with students with special needs, it is essential to replace them. »

On finances, Mr Kituku said although the UPE capitation grant for the third term of Shs2,037,633 was received on September 23, the city authorities are yet to disburse the grant for special needs.

“I wrote to the municipal education officer, but I received no response. The special needs fund is crucial for essentials like food, porridge and educational materials for these students. Without funds it becomes difficult to operate, we are already halfway through the term and we are struggling to meet these necessities,” he said.

Of the 73 students with special needs, 25 attend the school thanks to parental contributions, while the rest commute. This year, three students are registered for the end of primary school exams (PLE).

Mr Godfrey Tideybwa, a specialist teacher at Canon Apollo Demonstration School since 1999, expressed the difficulties of teaching with only two staff members.

“With only two teachers, it is difficult to give these students the attention they need. In a typical week, we may only meet with them three times; on other days they are placed in regular classes and not only can each teacher manage what these students need at any time,” he explained.

Mr Tideybwa noted that some teachers are reluctant to transfer within the school because special education is seen as extra work without extra pay.

He stressed the need for a pay increase to attract and retain special needs teachers, saying that currently government pay rates do not reflect the unique demands of special education, making it difficult to recruitment of qualified personnel.

As for capitation grants, the school received Sh1,977,574 in the first term and Sh2,017,327 in the second term for special needs, but no funds have yet been provided for the third term.

At Saint-Pierre-et-Paul elementary school, two teachers care for 35 students with special needs in a single class, despite varying grade levels.

Ms Juliet Tibasanga, a special education teacher at the school, explained that in 1997 classes were held in separate rooms, but now all students are confined to one classroom due to funding issues.

Ms. Tibasanga reported that a deaf student was enrolled in the PLE, which ends today, and that he will sit alone with a supervisor.

The management said the school receives about Sh1.8 million per term for the needs of these students but seeks an increase of Sh3 million each term for smooth operation.

The Fort Portal City Education Officer, Mr Richard Alituha, said they had received the funds for the special schools but had been tasked to release the funds for the UPE schools first. “We received money but we did not get permission to send money to schools. We first focused on the UPE capitation grant, which we sent. Now we need to find out why we didn’t receive permission to send this money.