According to the government’s introduction of TV channel for learning which was announced on ZNBC 19hours TV news on 08th of April, 2020, that the Government through the ministries of General Education and Information Broadcasting Services has launched a television channel to provide education services during the closure of schools as a result of the outbreak of the coronavirus. Accessibility is an underlying premise throughout the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CPRD). Article 3 and 4 state the obligation to: provide accessible information to persons with disabilities. Article 9 also calls for the need for: the design, development, production and distribution of accessible information and communications technologies and systems. Article 24 emphasizes that people with disabilities have a right to education without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity.

This clearly implies that accessible information is vital for education and learning. The barriers presented by inaccessible information potentially will impacts on learners with disabilities The Zambia Deaf Youth and Women feel strongly that new educational initiative will disadvantages the education acquisition of learners with disabilities at greater extent if the diversity learning needs of learners with disabilities are not taken into consideration in planning process as those learners are not only clarified as Learners with Special Education Needs but also Slow Learners who need modified type of learning materials and approach. Learners with disabilities are frequently left behind when it comes to educational program developing due to lack of consultation with organization of persons with disabilities and relevant stakeholders in field of Special Education. As such as organization, we feel very few learners with disabilities will access education on television but will have a number of challenges when it comes to wordings and conception of mastering the contents of the lessons.

Again, we note with serious concern that during a TV succinct by the Hon Minister of General Education on the introduction of Educational TV channel on ZNBC there was no sign language interpreter to ensure the message was well disseminated to Deaf teachers and learners. We further note that most of the pupils with disabilities will be restricted to access education on television channels, if they are not incorporated and considering that we have a lot of pupils/students with disabilities across the country who for their parents and caregivers do not have television sets at their homes as well as those in rural areas will still remain left behind. Mostly, a good number of pupils with disabilities face a lot of challenges academically because their education is poorly implemented when it comes to educational initiatives.

Thus, the introduction of television channel for learning is a regrettable to our pupils with disabilities because it won’t accommodate them in such a way; government must consider appropriate methods to incorporate learners with disabilities in the introduction of television channel for them to benefit academically from compulsory education during the closure of schools. Further, the establishment of radio station and e-learning as illustrative learning will not help learners with disabilities in any way because learners with disabilities are not familiar how to use technologies and some do not have computer technologies and phones to access learning materials on the educational website and internet costs may not be very friendly.

And the education materials may not be easily comprehensive for learners with disabilities without one to one explanations because some learners with disabilities have very limited vocabularies. Besides, leaving learners with disabilities behind in the educational program is a worrisome to the organization as champion of human rights, to parents and caregivers of children with disabilities because their children will still remain behind in their educational progress. I therefore, plead the government to incorporate learners with disabilities in the introduction of television channel for learning, there must be appropriate intervention to consider the needs for learners with disabilities to benefit from the same educational program, they should look at how learners with disabilities especially those whose parents do not have televisions at their homes and those in rural areas where there is even no electricity to connect their televisions for learning and networks for those use computers and phones.

Also the government should look at the needs for those learners with disabilities who are vulnerable, cannot learn through televisions alone, because they cannot understand complex notes on television and website channelsthey may be forced to learn but do not understand the concept notes even if their parents and caregivers are with them at their homes they cannot interpret the notes from television and websites for Deaf learners because not all parents know sign language. In order to make learning environment conducive, inclusively and concurrently beneficiary to learners with disabilities in kindred to normal learners, government should priority consider of lobbying or employing qualified special education teachers on television channel or introduce another methods of learning for learners with disabilities very appropriately to learn.

It is vital that information relevant for learning is accessible to ensure equal learning opportunities for all without leaving behind learners with disabilities.

Issued by: Dr. Musukwa Frankson-LLM, BA Sp Ed

Executive Director

Zambia Deaf Youth and Women

Plot No 831 Government Road Kitwe.