Education for the Children with Learning Disabilities: African-European Co-operation for Promoting Higher Education and Research

In Namibia, Zambia and Kenya, learning disabilities are amongst the most important factors hindering primary school children’s attendance and achievement. The role of teachers, educationists and psychologists is crucial in the recognition and treatment. However, teacher and psychologist training in these countries fails to provide adequate knowledge and skills about learning disabilities. The project “Education for the Children with Learning Disabilities: African-European Co-operation for Promoting Higher Education and Research” aims to contribute to improving school attendance and achievement of pupils in primary education in Namibia, Zambia and Kenya by enhancing the skills of educationists (teachers, special education teachers and psychologists) to diagnose and treat school children’s learning disabilities.

To achieve this goal, the project will enhance the curricula for teacher, special education teacher and psychologist education at Higher Education Institutions in Namibia, Zambia and Kenya by promoting the accessibility and use of the latest research based knowledge on learning disabilities among school children, and by stimulating their own research in this field.

Interactive workshops to define educational needs

The Educational and Psychology Departments at the University of Namibia, University of Zambia, Kenyatta University and the Zambia Institute of Special Education, supported by the University Network of Psychology in Finland, will adapt the knowledge on learning disabilities that is available in developed countries and implement it via higher education for the support of the primary education within the African context. Finland is one of the leading European countries in developing the quality of the basic education and also special education support systems for children with learning difficulties.

The core elements of the project will be six one-week workshops, where staff from African institutions will be trained to teach special education teachers and psychologists. The workshops will consist of lessons and practical discussions between the members of the participating institutions, and presentations of invited experts on the topics related to teaching children with learning disabilities.

Workshop activities will include: gathering information on the state of the art in each participating country, assessing curriculum development needs in each partner institute, training university staff in assessment of treatment of language based learning disabilities (e.g. dyslexia, SLI), and mathematical learning disabilities, challenging behaviour as well as emotional disorders in childhood, and studing approaches to treatment. Common research activities will also be planned.

Project Coordinator : University of Turku, as the coordinating university for University Network of Psychology in Finland – Psykonet, Finland

Partners:
•Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, University of Namibia, Namibia
•Department of Psychology, University of Zambia, Zambia
•Department of Educational Psychology,Sociology and Special Education,School of Education, University of Zambia,Zambia
•Zambia Institute of Special Education – ZAMISE, Zambia
•Department of Education Psychology,School of Education, Kenyatta University,Kenya

Associates:Niilo Mäki Institute, Jyväskylä, Finland

Contact:
Susanna Kharroubi
University of Turku
Tel: 00 358 2 333 5431
Fax: 00 358 2 333 5060
Email: susanna.kharroubi@utu.fi
Website: www.utu.fi

Granting access to education to all school children

The project will greatly benefit African partner institutions that will gain theoretical insights,
methods and practices in the field of learning disabilities, and methods helping address
them will be introduced in the curricula. The teaching staff at the partner institutions
will receive new theoretical research based knowledge about learning disabilities and
new teaching methods on how to teach future educationists to work with children with
learning disabilities.

Students of education, special education and psychology at the partner institutions will
learn practical methods on how to address learning disabilities. In this way, when they go
out to the real world, they will be able to help children with learning disabilities in schools.
This will contribute to their self-esteem, their motivation and their satisfaction at work.

Ultimately, the primary school children, together with their families and the society at large
will benefit from the project in the long-term. Enhanced capacities of teachers, special
education teachers and psychologists to detect and treat learning disabilities among
school children will increase the school success rate of these children, and help achieve a
higher education level of the population in Namibia, Zambia and Kenya.

Grant:

Project duration: 16/08/2008 to 16/08/2011

EU funding: EUR 500.000

Total budget: EUR 593.360

Project contact:

Susanna Kharroubi
University of Turku

Tel: 00 358 2 333 5431
Fax: 00 358 2 333 5060

Email: susanna.kharroubi@utu.fi
Website: www.utu.fi

Project website: Education for Children with Learning Disabilities

Factsheet(s):

EN Learning Disabilities.pdf

Susanna Kharroubi

Pia Krimark

Welcome to EDULINK

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… financed by the European Union and Implemented by the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States Secretariat, the programme supports cooperative projects between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the ACP Group of States, the EU Member States and other eligible countries. more about EDULINK...