COVID-19: A Threat to Right to Education for the Visually Impaired
By: Alimamy Jalloh
Sierra Leone recorded its first covid 19 case on the 31st of March 2020. This prompted the government to declare a state of health emergency and took steps to stem the spread of the disease. Some of those steps included the closure of schools and colleges. This measure saw many girls in public examination classes frustrated. The public examination classes include primary six (final class), Junior Secondary three (final level) and Senior secondary three (final class).
As the global pandemic continue to hit Sierra Leone, a visually impaired lady Zainab Kamara, 16, of the Saint Joseph’s Secondary school in Freetown, disclosed that she was moved out of the city to settle with her grandmother in the village for her to stay safe. “I was preparing to take my junior school final slate for two months to go before schools were closed; this brought me anxiety,” said Zainab. “My worst disappointment was the fact that people living in my grandmother’s community cannot relate with me well,” Zainab continued. The Basic Education Certificate Examinations are transformative in the lives of young pupils of teen ages. So having it postponed indefinitely is precarious in their young lives and ambitions to proceed to Senior Secondary School.
While staying at home with her grand mum, she was not allowed to buy food or interact with other girls outside their home because her grand mum wanted to prevent her from making physical contact with anybody. Zainab said even though she is visually impaired, her knowledge about staying safe was exceptional but she was always kept aside which made her eager and anxious. Things become worse when the government instituted a strict three days’ lockdown as part of the preventive measures to reduce the spread of the virus. “As movements were restricted, the economic hardship became a threat to our very existence in the face of covid 19,” Zainab lamented in pessimistically.
Zainab’s grand mum who spoke to me in anonymity, called on the government to stick to its promise by helping persons living disability inclusion and equal opportunities as stated in their campaign manifesto. Also, the Disability Act of 2012 created a Disability Commission that should address the concerns of that group of people. About 1.1 % of the population is living with disability. This includes mainly the visually impaired, hearing impaired, the mute, polio survivors and amputees. The major challenges the physically challenged persons face include limited access to food, shelter, clothing, jobs, education and health care.”
Due to the reduction of active covid 19 cases in the country, the government have re-opened schools and re-set the dates for the administration of all public examinations. In this light, Zainab has since returned to her home in Freetown to prepare for the very exams which are now slated for the month of July 2021. Zainab concluded that, she had revamped her studies for the all-important BECE exams. According to Mrs. Emily Gogra, the deputy minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, the government of Sierra Leone through her Ministry, is paying for all public exams for every pupil in the country and persons living with disability have special free education package for post-secondary school education.
As I continue to look at the negative impact of covid 19 restrictions on the visually impaired community in the Western Area of Sierra Leone, I met Isatu Bangura in the Koya Community in the Western Area Rural District
Isatu Bangura, a visually impaired teenager, alleged that faced discrimination while she was attending the National Pentecostal Secondary School in Koya. “With the enforcement of social distancing, we blind people find it to move around without touching the next sighted person,”Isatu said. She also observed that her friends who used to help her access her braille reading and writing materials. “For a person visually impaired, social distancing is a difficult measure to observe because of the way our communities and schools are configured” Isatu reiterated. As this measure is key in the prevention of covid 19 spread, Isatu and her peers sound disappointed. Although the Disability Act guarantees inclusion and the Sierra Leone Constitution guarantees freedom of association, in the face of covid 19these freedoms have been drastically curtailed. She further maintained that, ”most often, when I am ready to board a vehicle, there will be nobody directing me to the street or Bus stop. Some commercial drivers will drive-off when they realize that I cannot move independently.” Isatu said that only few commercial drivers sympathize with her. Isatu revealed that at home, during the height of the Covid-19; she was affected because she had used to walk to visit other friends and relatives around her communities but since the struck of the corona virus, she did not move for few months especially during the lockdown period. “I feel lonely, except I sleep for the rest of the day. Even where I lived, it was hardly for me to walk around there with the help of others” Isatu said.
According to the Risk Communication lead of the National Covid 19 Response Centre (NaCOVERC), Harold Thomas, they are no data relating to active positive case in respect of persons living with disability. He said this does not in no way suggest that they are not vulnerable; they are, so observing the basic infection prevention and control methods are necessary for everyone including persons living with disability. The National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA) in a government entity seeking the welfare of vulnerable and neglected communities. According to the Commissioner, Mrs. Sao Max-Kain, NaCSA has funds for the provision of handouts for economically challenged people including persons living with disability. She said they now have a register of various category of beneficiaries some of whom have received huge sums as grants assistance to persons living with disability and the aged, and to provide livelihood support to persons living with disability for economic empowerment.
This story was produced with support from Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), through it’s Mobilizing Media in the Fight Against COVID-19 in partnership with Sierra Leone Association of Journalists.
