Bachelor of Education (Special Needs Education) Secondary Option

Bachelor of Education (Special Needs Education) Secondary Option

BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION) SECONDARY OPTION

 Introduction
The current international and national trends in education are moving towards an inclusive education. Inclusive education offers learners with and without special needs an opportunity to learn together. These trends of inclusivity are supported by policy documents. At international level the United Nations General Assembly of 10th December 1948 adapted and proclaimed Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In that Declaration, Article 26 asserts that: ‘Everyone has the right to education’ while at the same time everyone is ‘entitled to equal protection against any discrimination’ (Article 7). Again in 1989 United Nations held the Convention on the Rights of Children which affirmed the need for inclusivity education. In 1990 ‘Jomtien World Declaration on Education For All’ emphasized the double imperatives of expansion and improvement of comprehensive education for the vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Lastly, Article 6 of the Millennium Development Goals recognizes the role of persons with special needs. The Kenya government is a signatory to these international policy documents. In the Children’s Act 2001 and in the Persons with Disability Act 2003, the Kenya government has legally domesticated these international declarations as national policies of education and national planning including the Vision 2030. Consequently schools in Kenya should implement the agenda of inclusive education. However this cannot be possible since Kenya has a deficit of professionals in the area of Special Needs Education.
To address this deficit of professionals in Special Needs Education and in line with Teachers Service Commission, (TSC) Circular No. 20/2008, Moi University offers Bachelor of Education in special needs education (with specialization). These specializations include; Deafblindness, Visual impairments, Hearing impairments, Emotional and behavioral difficulties and Physical handicaps. Of these specializations, Moi becomes the first in region to offer bachelors of education in Special Needs Education in Deafblindness and Technical education respectively. This Degree Programme has Three options for Primary Secondary and Technical education school teachers; in order to respond to their needs respectively.