Social factors affecting enrollment of children with disabilities in primary Schools: A Case of Peri-Urban Primary Schools In Ilala District
This study set out to investigate the social factors affecting enrollment of children with disabilities in Primary Schools. The research location was within Ilala Municipal in Dar Es Salaam Region. Data were gathered from a sample of 51 respondents involving the categories of parents of children with disabilities, teachers from disability centres, social welfare officers and children out of school. These had been sampled through purposive, simple random and convenience sampling techniques. Qualitative and quantitative approaches through case study design were employed to facilitate the study. Moreover, qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis while quantitative data were analyzed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. The study revealed that there is inadequate social support for parents of children with disabilities from community and government. The study also revealed that certain cultural conceptions negatively affect parents’ intention to the enrolment of children with disabilities. Regarding parents’ economic status, the study revealed that parents with high education and high income levels (government employees) are the ones who overprotect their children, confine them in homes and from public interactions thus not ready to enroll them in schools, while parents with low education and low income level are ready to send their children to school but facing financial constraints. It also revealed that there is no correlation between family type, level of education and type of economic activity in the enrolment of children with disabilities. The study recommended that social support services and financial assistance should be provided to parents / guardians of children with disabilities.
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