Back-to-school: Parents of children with disabilities demand more inclusive schools.

Parents worry if the children will be accepted in the schools, whether teachers will understand their conditions, if the school environment is accessible and whether someone will be available to provide the support they require.

In other instances, the struggle comes after enrolment, when children are physically present in classrooms but receive little specialised assistance. And for some, like Nlah Marie Gertrude, the problem comes after primary education, when there appears to be nowhere to continue.

As the country prepares for another school year, parents and disability rights advocates are calling for an education system that goes beyond simply opening school doors to children with disabilities. 

The general appeal is for more accessible schools, trained teachers, adapted learning materials, specialised support and educational pathways extending from nursery and primary education through secondary and vocational training.

Parents share their struggles

Parents have shared deeply personal experiences, highlighting both the challenges and hopes surrounding the education of children with disabilities.

One mother, who did not want to be named, admitted that she long lacked the courage to send her son to school because he was totally dependent on others. Her perception changed after she learned more about the importance of education. 

“I realised he deserves the chance to meet other children and discover a new environment,” she said. Her experience points to a less visible barrier of fear to inclusive education.

For parents caring for children with significant disabilities, sending them into an unfamiliar environment can be frightening. Concerns about safety, discrimination, inadequate care and teachers’ ability to respond to their children’s needs can delay or prevent enrolment.

For other parents, however, the decision to send their children to school has not always produced the expected results. A mother of a child with cerebral palsy recalled enrolling her son in an inclusive school seven years ago. 

Although the child spends most of the day there, she said the level of support remains inadequate. “He leaves home at 6a.m. and returns at 5p.m., but we don’t see meaningful support,” she noted.

Another mother described an even more painful experience. Her daughter became ill at nine months, and when she was later enrolled in a specialised school, the mother said the teacher refused to properly care for her because of her condition. 

“My wish is for the government to give us more support,” she said.

For the parents, the issue is not simply getting children into school but ensuring that they receive meaningful education once they get there.

A certificate, but nowhere to go

Nlah Marie Gertrude says her son’s educational journey has reached an unexpected dead end. Her son, living with hearing impairment, obtained his CEP, equivalent to the First School Leaving Certificate in the English subsystem of education, three years ago.

“Not having had the opportunity to enter certain inclusive middle and high schools in the area, how do we guide him now? Right now, he is at home,” Nlah said.

She added that her son has already spent three years out of school. “He has been at home for three years because last year again, we couldn’t find a school to enroll him in. So, we already see another year starting and right now, we still don’t have a solution to this problem,” she added.

Nlah says the absence of opportunities beyond primary school places enormous pressure on parents who are already dealing with the challenges of raising children with disabilities.

She believes that leaving children without educational opportunities can itself become another source of distress for families. Nlah appeals for the creation of more schools offering secondary education, middle-school opportunities and vocational training for children with specific educational needs.

“These are people who are quite capable of certain things, who have aptitudes to be able to thrive and perhaps be included in society,” she said.

720 inclusive schools, but gaps remain

According to reports from the Ministry of Social Affairs, government has made considerable progress in expanding inclusive education.

Reports from the non-profit making organisation, Sightsavers, note that the country’s network of inclusive schools grew from five in 2012 to 720 in 2023. 

In May 2024, the Ministry of Social Affairs reported that Cameroon had 720 inclusive schools, comprising 360 primary schools and 360 nursery-primary schools distributed across the country’s 360 municipalities.

The progress is significant, but available figures cited in a 2024 report indicated that just about 10 percent of children with disabilities were accessing education.

The figures, according to experts, show a persistent gap as increasing the number of inclusive schools does not automatically guarantee that children with disabilities are able to enroll, remain in school and progress through the education system.

Cameroon has also adopted a National Policy on Inclusive Education, validated in 2024, with an implementation period covering 2024 to 2028.

The policy has ambitious targets. Government plans to transform 1,289 educational institutions into inclusive structures, train 8,075 teachers and education personnel, and support 22,248 learners with disabilities or specific educational needs.

The programme also seeks to increase the proportion of persons with specific needs benefiting from equitable and quality education, with a target of at least 25 percent by 2028.

The first phase of the policy is estimated at approximately 100 billion FCFA, with the government, regional and local authorities expected to provide 65 percent of the financing and development partners the remaining 35 percent.

The commitments represent an important policy foundation though parents say implementation is what matters most.

Inclusion is more than admission

For disability rights activist and special needs educator, Fonyuy Bett Nancy, parents should not stop at finding a school willing to enroll their children.

As schools prepare to reopen, she advised parents of children with neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, to first determine whether the school has created a safe and supportive environment.

“Before any parent gets a child enrolled in the school, they should make sure that the school has created a safe space for these children,” she said.

Fonyuy who is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Inclusive Development Network, also urged parents to establish whether the necessary resources are available to accompany children throughout the academic year. 

These, she explained, may include speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and special educators. Parents, she added, should ask who will be directly working with their children and whether those individuals have the appropriate skills.

She says children with neurodevelopmental conditions do not necessarily learn in the same way as other children. Fonyuy notes that their behaviour, communication and learning patterns can differ, requiring educational systems to adapt accordingly.

“If a system is not adapted to receive their needs, then they will not be able to make it,” she said.

Safety beyond the school gate

Fonyuy says inclusion must also extend to the journey between home and school. She has urged parents arranging transportation for their children to verify the background and history of drivers.

She says concern is particularly serious for children who are non-verbal or have difficulty communicating. She warned that when a child cannot easily explain what happened to them, abuse can go unnoticed. 

The responsibility, she argued, should not rest entirely on parents. Schools and authorities, she insists, must establish strong safeguarding systems to protect children with disabilities.

The cost of inclusion

Financial pressure has been cited as another major concern. Families raising children with disabilities have explained that they have expenses beyond ordinary school fees, including transportation, assistive devices, therapy and specialised educational support. 

Fonyuy Bett Nancy appeals to private institutions to make their fees more affordable for families. She has also called for stronger government intervention to support specialised schools and centres, arguing that the number of such institutions remains limited.

According to her, some parents have even had to relocate in search of better educational opportunities for their children.

The situation, she said, has aggravated with the geographical dimension of inclusive education. A school may exist somewhere in Cameroon, but if it is hundreds of kilometres from a family’s home, access remains difficult.

Begs for more trained teachers

Another priority identified by Fonyuy is teacher preparation. She believes inclusive education should not be restricted to teachers working in schools officially designated as inclusive. 

“In one way or the other, you will find children with special needs in all schools,” she said. 

Some disabilities may not be immediately visible, she noted, making it important for teachers to have the knowledge to identify possible learning difficulties and know when to seek the assistance of special educators.

Government’s plan to train 8,075 teachers and education personnel by 2028, she said, is therefore significant. Teachers require practical skills in differentiated instruction, sign language, Braille, classroom adaptation and support for children with developmental and intellectual disabilities and without such training, an inclusive education policy risks remaining stronger on paper than in the classroom.

Support that is already making a difference

The Director of the Club des Jeunes Aveugles Réhabilités du Cameroun, CJARC, Dr Coco Bertin, salutes some measures already taken by the government to improve the situation of persons with disabilities, including the development of inclusive schools, measures aimed at improving accessibility to higher education and the provision of disability cards through the Ministry of Social Affairs.

He cites the recruitment of persons with disabilities into public service, including the recent recruitment of 10 persons as teachers in the Ministry of Basic Education, as well as the reduction of 50 percent school fees in all state universities.

According to experts, there are, however, examples of progress on the ground. In the North West and South West Regions, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and partners have supported efforts to restore education for children with disabilities affected by conflict, displacement and exclusion.

More than 3,000 children have been screened in schools and temporary learning spaces to identify disabilities and determine appropriate support. More than 100 children received assistive devices, including mobility aids, glasses, hearing aids and Braille-related equipment.

More than 82 teachers and facilitators have also received training in inclusive education practices, including Universal Design for Learning, basic Braille, sign language and psychosocial support.

UNICEF says these interventions are particularly important in crisis-affected communities, where children with disabilities face multiple layers of exclusion caused by insecurity, displacement, stigma and inadequate learning environments.

The organisation estimates that more than 1.5 million school-age children aged four to 17 require education assistance because of crises in the restive North West, South West, Littoral, West and Far North Regions and for children with disabilities in these areas, the barriers can be even greater.

What still needs to be done?

Parents and advocates say the next stage must be about turning inclusion into a lived reality. Accessibility, they said, remains essential as many schools need ramps, accessible classrooms, toilets and pathways suitable for children with different mobility needs.

They noted that adapted learning materials are equally important. Children with hearing, visual impairment, of those who have other disabilities may require Braille, large-print materials, hearing support, assistive technology or other specialised resources.

Teacher training, they say, must continue, particularly because children with disabilities are not confined to designated inclusive schools. Secondary and vocational education must also receive greater attention and parents need support. They suggest that families should not have to bear the full cost of therapies, assistive devices, specialised education and transportation.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3910 of Tuesday September 15, 2026