With the start of the school year scheduled for October 8th, teachers are being equipped to provide better psychosocial support for children with disabilities. Educators at the El Hadj Omar Ndiaye primary school, which serves many children with various types of disabilities, are the target of this four-day training session funded by the French Embassy in Senegal.

This training is of great importance, according to the elementary school principal, as it is essential for the care of children in the classroom, but also within families. "It's about transferring everything we've learned here into the practical care in the classroom. These are children with a different psychology, a different psychoanalysis to consider. Anything that can add value to the care of learning is essential for everyone to focus on this training," continued Sadibou Diédhiou.

The latter took the opportunity to request special attention from the authorities responsible for education in the care of these children at his establishment, which welcomes deaf-mutes, people with Down's syndrome, autistic people, people with intellectual motor disabilities, and all types of children with disabilities.

"There are many challenges to overcome. So we are calling on the State to take action so that we can reduce some of the support that is beyond our means," he stressed.

Sarany Badji, the education and training inspector, the focal point for inclusive education at the Ziguinchor IEF, reassured about the system for dealing with these cases. "In the Ziguinchor department, there is a system in place to support children with disabilities, particularly those with hearing and visual impairments. We have reception facilities, such as the El Hadj Omar Ndiaye school, which welcomes children with hearing impairments. There are also the Lieutenant Badara Diallo and Ataba Tabar elementary schools, which welcome children with visual impairments," he explained. Sarany Badji specified that this system is being extended to middle and secondary schools in the Ziguinchor department.