Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa has announced his intention to organize a meeting with the Education Minister, Hon. Janet Museveni, the Uganda National Association of the Deaf, and all Members of Parliament representing PWDs.
The purpose of this meeting would be to discuss various challenges facing special needs education, including the establishment of a skills training center for the deaf. His announcement came after the Uganda National Association of the Deaf (UNAD) attributed poor performance to inadequate funding and a lack of access to qualified sign language teachers.
In the previous year’s Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results, 2,257 pupils with disabilities, including those with hearing impairments, performed poorly. Notably, out of the 263 pupils who sat for PLE, none achieved Division One. Only 50 pupils managed Division Two, 41 attained Division Three, 56 were placed in Division Four, and 116 pupils received ungraded results.
Representing as the chief guest at the 50th-anniversary celebration and fundraising gala of UNAD, which took place at Mestil Hotel in Kampala on September 22, 2023.Tayebwa has called upon the government to prioritize social protection, economic empowerment, and education programs aimed at directly benefiting Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
“As a government, we must put money in the budget to support the deaf community and other people with special needs” he said
Tayebwa pledged to be a committed ally of the deaf community and a strong advocate for the rights of Persons with Disabilities.
He raised important questions, questioning why resources are readily allocated for other causes while PWDs, including the deaf, often have to resort to private fundraising efforts.
He emphasized that PWDs, just like any other Ugandan citizens, pay taxes and deserve government support. He urged the government to allocate funds in the national budget to support the needs of the deaf community and other individuals with special needs.
According to statistics provided by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the deaf community constitutes approximately 1.2 million individuals, comprising three percent of the country’s total population.