Evaluation of the Level of Awareness and Support Offered By Relevant Stakeholders for Appropriate Placement of Children with Special Needs in Kenya A Case of Uasin Gishu County

Abstract

The study assessed support levels for placement of children with Special Needs Education in Uasin Gishu County in Rift Valley province. The objective of the study was to evaluate the level of awareness and support offered by relevant stakeholders in placement of children with Special Needs. The study adopted the theory of Planned Behaviour that relates to intention of behavior. A descriptive survey design was employed for the planning and execution of the study. Stratified, Simple Random and Purposive sampling techniques were used in choosing the sample size. The target population which is also the sample for the study included Education Officers, assessors at the education assessment centres, affected parents and Special Needs Education Teachers. The research instruments used to collect data were questionnaires, interview schedule and Observation checklist. Data collected was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The study findings revealed that the country was still far from achieving education for all as attested by the fact that over 1.8 children with SNE had not been assessed and placed in appropriate programmes despite the governments’ effort of setting up EARCs in all the districts with the aim of taking the services closer to people. The study findings are expected to benefit educational planners in recommending for allocation of more resources for training, in-service and equipping the centres for better performance, enhance sensitization of parents and general public about the functions and value of assessment centres. It is further hoped that the findings of the study will bring about greater awareness with regard to the value of the assessment centres.