ERIC Number: EJ1444835
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1034-912X
EISSN: EISSN-1465-346X
'We Have to Try and Teach Them from Home' -- Parents' Perspectives on Education of Children with Disabilities during the First Year of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Uganda
Femke Bannink Mbazzi; Elizabeth Kawesa; Claire Nimusiima; Ruth Nalugya; Geert van Hove; Janet Seeley
International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, v71 n7 p1076-1093 2024
Since March 2020, Uganda has confirmed cases of COVID-19 and implemented a response to curb the spread, which included over 12 months of school closure for most children. In this study we investigated parents' perspectives of the impact of the COVID-19 response on education of children with disabilities enrolled in primary schools in Central Uganda during the first 12 months of the outbreak. We conducted four rounds of interviews with 27 parents of children with disabilities, which were analysed thematically. Parents described a lack of financial resources, food, learning materials, and teaching skills necessary to provide meaningful home education. Parents were concerned about the long-term impact school closure may have on their child's development, behaviour, and social life. Although parents were happy about the phased school re-opening, they expressed concerns about the financial costs involved in sending children back to school, and wondered how children would cope with prevention measures. School closure has greatly impacted the education of children with disabilities in Uganda. There is a need to consider inequality, poverty, and culture when studying children with disabilities during the COVID-19 outbreak, and prioritise and include this group in designing COVID-19 responses, prolonged home learning and school reopening plans.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Parent Attitudes, Parent Role, Students with Disabilities, COVID-19, Pandemics, School Closing, Elementary School Students, Barriers, Distance Education, Costs, Poverty, Equal Education, Cultural Influences, Parents as Teachers, Instructional Materials, Interpersonal Relationship, Food, Child Behavior, In Person Learning
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Uganda
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A