By Daniel Zimba:
Mary Mpoma from Mgawamadzi Village, Traditional Authority Machinjiri, in Blantyre District does not forget things that have had a profound effect on her life.
That is why the year 2004 is forever etched on her memory.
“That is the year my life changed forever. What happened is that, in the course of that year, while coming from the hospital where I sought maternal health services, the car I was travelling in overturned several times.
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“I was injured and prematurely gave birth to a baby boy, Miracle. The next thing I remember is that I found myself lying on a hospital bed,” Mpoma recalled.
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Despite facing challenges, Miracle survived, albeit with disabilities medical personnel at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre attributed to the car accident.
Now 20, Miracle is in form 4 at Lunzu Secondary School in Blantyre.
Miracle excelled in Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education examinations in 2020 and Junior Certificate of Education examinations in 2022.
However, Miracle’s education journey has been marred with hurdles.
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Initially rejected by several primary schools due to his disabilities, it took Lunzu SOS Primary School to welcome him with open arms.
And, in 2021, his exceptional performance earned him a spot at Lunzu Secondary School.
Special needs teacher at Lunzu Secondary School, Dennis Luwemba, praises Miracle’s levels of adaptability:
“During the administration of examinations, we provide special assistance to him. His classmates interpret lessons for him using sign language. The government gave him a recorder which he is using when studying,” Luwemba explained.
To its credit, Lunzu Secondary School has modified its infrastructure, which was not disability friendly at first, to accommodate students with disabilities.
Director of Education Alfred Mphandamkoko acknowledged the challenges that people with disabilities face.
“Only 40 percent of school infrastructure in Blantyre is disability-friendly. We are working on improving on this,” Mphandamkoko indicated.
Meanwhile, Mpoma has said her son urgently needs a wheelchair.
This is because Miracle has been using the same wheelchair for the past three years, despite that it is not good enough for someone with his condition.
“We have to tie him to the wheelchair all the time just to make sure he doesn’t fall down,” the mother lamented.
Government statistics show that the country has about 13 public secondary schools with disability-friendly school structures.
The statistics also indicate that there are about 115,000 qualified and registered special needs teachers in the country.
As for Lunzu Secondary School, it has four special needs teachers, against a total population of 15 students with various degrees of disabilities.
According to Luwemba, this is a fair ratio compared to the population of students with disabilities the school has been enrolling over the years.
Organisations such as Tamva Friends for the Deaf indicated that they were doing their best to ensure that people with disabilities were being supported.
The organisation’s programmes manager Gabriel Lunzu said their goal was to ease challenges that people with disabilities were facing in the country.
“We are assisting learners and students in about 70 schools across the country. And some of our learners and students have performed remarkably. For example, we had a student at Lunzu Secondary School who was selected to the University of Malawi.
“Last year, another student with a hearing impairment scored 17 points at Malawi School Certificate of Education level. Probably, Miracle might be next,” Lunzu said.
Federation of Disability Organisations in Malawi (Fedoma) also indicated that they were doing the needful to ensure that people with disabilities were fully supported in their endeavours.
Fedoma Executive Director Symon Munde cited technology as one of the areas they were supporting students with disabilities in.
“Technology is key to the attainment of the dreams of learners and students with disabilities. We must, therefore, join hands in creating a conducive environment for them,” Munde pointed out.
He said service providers needed to utilise technology when supporting learners and students with disabilities.
“There are technological instruments that are user-friendly to learners and students with disabilities. Such technologies make things easier for them. Most countries have already embraced technology,” Munde said.
In the end, Miracle’s journey serves as a testament to the power of the human spirit and the importance of promoting inclusive education.
