Rays of Hope says the lack of an inclusive education policy is delaying the full implementation of inclusive education in the country.

The organization’s director of programs, Kamwana Muyaya, made the observation in Zomba during stakeholders meeting on inclusive education. He said the country has been in exclusive education for quite some time and there is a need for concerted efforts in implementing inclusive education to full scale.

“We have a long way to go in order to put in place the necessary things needed to implement inclusive education in the country. But we are at least getting there and remain hopeful because the guidelines in policy will help the country achieve this,” he said.

Muyaya said currently, they have drafted an inclusive education policy document which is waiting for ratification from the cabinet for it to become a national inclusive education policy.

In his remarks, James Mitanga, inclusive education coordinator responsible for Zomba Rural hailed the stakeholders for advocating for the national inclusive education policy.

“The policy entails how the country should move such as the capacity of training of teachers in special needs and procurement of assistive devices to support the learners with disabilities in inclusive education processes,” Mitanga said.

The meeting drew together participants such as the district education managers, education division managers, special needs people’s organizations, and education networks under the Pamodzi for Inclusive Education in South-East Africa (PIESEA).