The head of the region’s special education at Kizwitwe Primary School, Mr Raphael Kibona told the ‘Daily News’ at his office on Wednesday that experience indicates that husbands have been deserting their wives immediately after noticing that they have given birth to children with either mental or physical disabilities.
Speaking from personal experience, Kibona said majority of children with various disabilities at the region’s schools were raised by single parents (mothers) after their husbands ran away.
“ …this school has a special unit for special education which accommodates 50 children … some are deaf and those who have intellectual impairment … but all of them have been raised by single mothers because their partners have deserted and neglected them, accusing them of bearing children who are physically and mentally disabled,” added Mr Kibona.
He further said that the unit have a population of 50 children, among them 21 are girls and 29 boys, both are day scholars.
Meanwhile, the Head teacher of Kizwite Primary School, Ms Rosemariam Makungu told this paper that her school is faced with myriads of challenges, including lack of decent toilet pits for a population of 2,450 children. She further said that the children are compelled to help themselves in toilet pits whose buildings are in bad shape and on the brink of collapse.
Across section of pupils, mostly girls, told this paper during separate interviews that they first pray to God before entering into the dilapidated school toilet building for fear of their safety.
“The school has a dire shortage of classrooms, as presently it has only 13 classrooms that are accommodating a population of 2,450 pupils who are in standard one to standard seven and the actual demand is 69 class rooms, which means we have a shortage of 55 classrooms,” she added