Factors influencing success of integrated education in public secondary schools; the case of Moi girls' school Nairobi, Dagorreti district, Nairobi county

Abstract

This study is about the Success of Integrated Education with specific interest in learners with visual impairment. The integration is in a regular public girls' boarding school where sighted and visually impaired learners learn and live together. The study is confined to Moi Girls' School Nairobi, Dagoretti District in Nairobi County. The study assessed the success factors of the integrated program in a public girls' boarding school.

Integration of children with special needs in regular schools is quickly taking shape. It gives all children a chance to be incorporated in the communities in which they will always work and live in after completing school. In 2007, there were nineteen integrated programmes in Kenya. These were started in 1989 after the success of the Nairobi Integrated Education Program (NIEP) in Nairobi County.

The areas that were looked into in detail in this study include teacher training and development, suitability of the school environment for the visually impaired, provision of support services and availability of teaching/learning resources within the school. The study came up with suggestions on how best other institutions can successfully implement the integrated program. This will not only improve the teaching/learning of the visually impaired and increase the access of education to the disabled, but also share the success story with other institutions capable of taking up integrated teaching/learning environments.

Data was collected from 40 sighted girls, 9 visually impaired, 30 teachers, and 6 key informants. The data collected was analyzed and presented. The findings from the analysis enabled the researcher to make appropriate recommendations on how best other institutions could adopt and successfully run an integrated program. The researcher has also made recommendations for further studies to be carried out in future. This is because even though the visually impaired are getting an education in an integrated environment, more can be done to enhance and ensure that the EF A Goal is attained independent of a person's disability.