WEBINAR: What are the stakes for learners with disabilities in candidate classes?

Schools and other academic institutions in Uganda have been closed since 20^th March 2020 as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Over the months, stakeholders in the education sector have come up with several interventions to keep learners engaged with the syllabus during the lockdown. These have included online and broadcast classes, and homeschooling, to which learners with disabilities were severally reported not to have effectively coped with.

The President has recently declared partial reopening of academic institutions effective 15^th October 2020, particularly for candidate classes at all levels. The suspense, however, remains high about how learners with disabilities are to be accommodated to effectively participate in learning and attempt national exams given the ‘very strict’ standard operating procedures (SOPs).

The purpose of this webinar, therefore, is to interrogate the government’s plans and explore alternatives to support academic excellence of learners with disabilities as the country recovers from the impacts of COVID-19. Specifically, the webinar intends to:

1. examine current plans and SOPs on reopening schools and their implications on inclusive education prospects;
2. identify alternative methodologies to reopening schools and the effective inclusion of all learners; and
3. generate recommendations to support advocacy initiatives for inclusive education.

The webinar will be moderated by Hassan Waddimba, Director, Grassroots Strategies Africa, and the panelists include:

• Lilian Namukasa – National Council for Disability (NCD).
• Brenda Bonabaana – Makerere University Business School.
• Sarah Ayesiga – Ministry of Education.
• Robert Bob Okello, Maarifasasa.
• Mohamed Kimbugwe – Disability Inclusion Expert.