Education
Sightsavers works with local and national partners in our programme countries to promote inclusive, quality education, giving all children the chance to go to school.
It’s thought that one third of children who do not attend school – 19 million – have a disability.
Despite significant increases in school attendance over the past decade and efforts to reduce gender disparities, children with disabilities continue to be left behind, with girls more likely to miss school than boys.
And when children are denied their right to education, they become trapped in a cycle of poverty and dependence.
Watch the video below for a quick overview of our work on inclusive education.
Our work in education
We work with schools, communities, governments and disabled people’s organisations around the world to ensure children are able to learn and play alongside their peers in pre-school, all the way through to primary and secondary school.
We make schools more inclusive for children with disabilities. We make sure lessons are stimulating and classrooms are as accessible as possible, and we ensure children with disabilities have the necessary equipment, receive specialist support and can learn with their peers.
We promote inclusive education throughout communities. We encourage parents to play an active part in education. ‘Mothers’ clubs’ have been set up in Sierra Leone to make school uniforms for students with disabilities, and community members in Malawi help young children to travel to pre-school using adapted bicycles.
We work with governments to improve education systems. We make sure schools get the support they need: we develop teacher training and help ministries of education collect data on children with disabilities enrolled in their schools, and promote joined-up services by linking health and social services with schools and families.
We work with disabled people’s organisations. We partner with groups across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia to ensure people with disabilities have a meaningful say in education decision-making.
Our education projects
Early childhood development
We support children with disabilities in their early years, making sure they're included in pre-schools so they're set up to achieve from an early age.
Primary and secondary education
Our education programme supports children with disabilities to learn in mainstream schools alongside their peers.
View all our education reports, guides and videos
Education resourcesWe campaign for a fairer world
Learn moreMore about education
Supporting children with deafblindness in Uganda
Alice Nabbanja from Sense International explains how the organisation has been working with Sightsavers in Uganda supporting young people with deafblindness and complex disabilities.
School Health Integrated Programming: Guidelines for school-based eye health programmes
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide direction to those planning and implementing vision screening programmes as a part of eye health initiatives within the education sector.
Educating pre-school children when resources are scarce
Sightsavers’ Ronnie Stapleton visited pre-schools across Malawi to train teachers how to include children with disabilities. She also learned a lot along the way.
