A study on children with disabilities and their right to education: Rwanda
Every single child has the right to education
Highlights
Despite the efforts and achievements of Education For All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), children with disabilities remain one of the main groups that continue to be excluded from education around the world; those who do attend school are more likely to be excluded in the classroom and to drop out (UNESCO 2015). This study – which was commissioned by the UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office and Education Development Trust, UK and conducted in Rwanda through UNICEF and the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) – is part of a broader regional study on the right of children with disabilities to education. It is one of a series of three case studies conducted in Madagascar, Comoros and Rwanda in early 2015.
Rwanda has made significant progress in increasing access to nine years’ fee-free and compulsory education. Pre-primary is a growing sector and primary schooling boasts one of the highest enrolment rates in Africa. Data indicate that access to primary education has increased most significantly amongst the poorest and most rural sections of the population. In lower secondary education the provision of more classrooms has supported growing numbers of students.
