Burkina / Inclusive education: Blind and visually impaired students attend classes like everyone else

With a view to promoting education for all, some schools welcome pupils with disabilities. This is the case at the Gounghin co-educational high school, which has around twenty blind and partially-sighted pupils. Lefaso.net went to meet some of them.

Hand in hand with a cane, Yacouba Ilboudo, Patrick Kaboré and Alexis Zongo make their way to their 1st A4 classroom. With their visual impairment in common, they are used to walking to school together. Once in the classroom, it's hard to perceive their disability, as they make their way to their seats without difficulty. "I've been enrolled here since 6th grade. Classes go well, and I'm able to keep up thanks to a tutor who dictates what is written on the blackboard so that I can follow," says Yacouba Ilboudo, who expresses himself very well.

His classmates Alexis Zongo and Patrick Kaboré came to the lycée mixte de Gounghin after obtaining their Brevet d'études du premier cycle (BEPC). Alexis Zongo lives with a host family, as his parents live in Koudougou. According to him, it's in an atmosphere of brotherhood and solidarity that they attend classes every day. "We're friends with everyone here, because when we talk about inclusion, we mean everyone. The very fact that our classmates help us by dictating for us, while writing their lessons, means a lot," says Alexis Zongo.

Students in solidarity with their disabled peers

In addition to their resilience in the face of disability, these students can count on their fellow students for invaluable help. Their neighbors, whom they have nicknamed tutors, help them keep up in class. "For example, during math lessons, I dictate everything on the blackboard, but for history and geography lessons it's less difficult because he's able to listen," explains Assia Nikièma, Patrick Kaboré's tutor. The head of the class also plays a major role in facilitating their learning. "Since they can't see, I always ask for silence so they can at least hear the teacher's explanations," says Flavien Sanou.

The general observation is that all the students are mobilized to come to the aid of their visually impaired comrades in case of need. But it has to be said that despite this mobilization, they are very independent. For Yacouba Ilboudo, disability is not inevitable. "I can say that it's something that makes us a little stronger. Maybe if I hadn't had this handicap, I wouldn't have reached this level, but this situation allows us to get by," says the 1st A4 student.

The Union nationale des Associations burkinabè pour la promotion des aveugles et malvoyants (UN/ABPAM) is at the heart of this inclusive education.

For Yacouba Ilboudo and his classmates to be able to attend the co-educational lycée in Gounghin, ABPAM had to talk to the administration. It should also be pointed out that students in the same situation are assigned to other schools in the city of Ouagadougou. "We don't have a very formal partnership with the schools. But from the outset, we've been advocating that visually impaired pupils should be able to learn like the others. As a result, schools such as the Lycée Mixte de Gounghin, Song Taba and Marien N'Gouabi, Bambata and even Vénégré welcome visually impaired pupils into their classes.Christophe Oulé, president of ABPAM, who adds that they try to follow up to facilitate the pupils' learning.

Before being assigned to these schools, some of them attended the Ouagadougou School for Young Blind People. This school was opened with the support of the Ministry of Social Action. It was from this school that the children were enrolled in the first primary grades. There, children are first taught Braille so that they can read and write, before moving on to the normal school.

Difficulties but also many prospects

Because of the barrier of visual impairment, the teacher can't always approach things in the same way as with other "normal" pupils. Nevertheless, blind and visually impaired pupils learn all subjects and are not exempt from any. "Homework for visually impaired students is translated into Braille. The teacher submits the assignment on time to the transcription team, who translate the subject for them," explains Christophe Oulé, President of ABPAM.

Despite this support, study difficulties persist. Patrick Kaboré deplores the lack of school textbooks in certain languages that are adapted to their situation: "We can't find books in Braille, especially in English and German".

According to the president of ABPAM, it's not easy for these young blind people, but like all students, when they put their minds to it, they come through.

Source: lefaso.net/