The Nziramasanga Commission Report (1999):Implications for Special Needs Education in Zimbabwe

The Nziramasanga report (1999) ushered in a milestone in the education of children with disabilities in Zimbabwe. The report recommended the need to educate learners with special educational needs alongside their peers in regular school contexts. The report highlighted problems encountered by educators at institutional level in attempting to include learners with exceptionalities. Some of the problems noted in this report include resource challenges in including leaners who are deaf as well as those who are blind. Issues of institutional readiness for inclusion as well as training of specialist teachers to manage special needs educational issues were also discussed in this report. The study examined the implications of the Nziramasanga Commission Report for service provision for children with special educational needs. The study also examined effectiveness of including learners with special needs within mainstream contexts. In addition,20 teachers teaching children with disabilities in the regular classes were purposively sampled and interviewed regarding their observations on the Nziramasanga Commission’s funding with regards to disability and special needs educational issues. A summary of the Nziramasanga Commission findings, on children with disabilities was provided to all the participants in the study.