Profile for the 10th winner of the Africa Expo 2019

Name: Goodluck Chanyika

Nationality: Tanzania

Title of Innovation: Jumuisha Tanzania Initiative – Advancing Special Education Teachers’ knowledge on Inclusive Education using ICT/Online learning to improve learning outcomes for students with disabilities in Tanzania

Countries of Implementation: Tanzania

Number of Years: 1

Category: Top 11(10^th spot)

Problem being solved:

After working for disability programs in Tanzania I realized; continuous staff development programs are not offered to special education teachers, there are shortages in special needs and inclusive education teacher training – the capacity institutions is low in relation to current needs. It is estimated less than 1% of teachers have any knowledge of special educational needs even these teachers lack pedagogical skills and knowledge involved in inclusive teaching and learning processes. The curricula are not designed in line with the principles and practice of inclusive education. Teacher education strongly emphasizes in general teaching.

Description of innovation:

ASET-KIE (Advancing Special Education Teachers’ Knowledge on Inclusive Education) under JUMUISHA TANZANIA INITIATIVE ( www.jumuisha.co.tz ), Jumuisha is Swahili word meaning “to include” hence inclusion. This comes as an online library and innovative learning network to support Continuous Staff Development programs among teachers in Tanzania, so they continue to learn even after they graduate and go into a teaching career. The platform has four types of disabilities – hearing impairment, visual impairment, physical impairment and intellectual impairment. For each type of disability, there are categories (teachers, parents, government workers and NGO staff). Under each category there are sets of questions based on their field of expertise, these are being classified as “Do you know” Questions which are in Swahili and English. For example, a teacher can click on the Hearing Impairment, and choose a question; Do you know how to instruct deaf students in a laboratory setting? Once he/she has clicked the question, it will open a PDF with details and things to do while instructing deaf students in an inclusive laboratory setting. If the teacher feels the materials are not enough then they can write to the Jumuisha team on their experience in instructing deaf students in the laboratory, these will be evaluated and later be uploaded on the website. Basically, these will act as best practices from teachers across the country whereby other teachers can learn and apply the same in the classroom.

Unique outcomes and Impact:

Initially, this innovation was presented as an application for the ADA international fellowship programme on Inclusive Education in the United States and was selected by the U.S Department of States as an outbound project and mentors from the University of South Dakota visited Tanzania for further support and the Gallaudet University has accepted to transcribe and use their online materials. Currently, at it’s designing and inception stages, the innovation was redesigned and presented to students at the largest special education teachers’ colleges in Tanzania (Patandi Special Education Teachers College and Sebastian Kulowa Memorial University

Replication and Sustainability:

In 2018, the idea was selected for presentation at the 6th Annual African Disability Rights Conference on Inclusive Education in South Africa. This innovation can be upscaled and sustained by having the materials in a variety of languages – to suit the country’s population, by enrolling volunteers to transcribe materials for the platform, involving the government education departments, advertise the innovation and seek support from stakeholders, encourage teachers to interact and use the platform. For its replication, research on gaps in the disability education sector and disability culture should be conducted in the respective country.