Kentalis International Foundation Expands Teacher Training for Inclusive Deaf Education in Tanzania
Thursday 24 April
In a significant step towards inclusive education, Kentalis International Foundation is expanding its teacher training initiative in Tanzania through the ongoing project, 'Multiplying Learning Opportunities for Tanzanian Teachers in Inclusive Deaf Education'. The program is conducted in close collaboration with our local partner, the Organisation of Special Needs Education Teachers (OSNET), and aims to equip teachers with the necessary skills to support deaf and hard-of-hearing students in both mainstream and special education settings.
Meeting a Growing Need
Since 2009, the number of children with hearing loss attending school in Tanzania has increased with 30%. These students are increasingly being integrated into mainstream classrooms, creating a pressing need for teachers who are trained in inclusive educational methods tailored to deaf learners.
Teachers in mainstream schools frequently have little to no training in supporting students with hearing impairments. Meanwhile, even specialized educators, while they may have some background in teaching deaf students, often still lack access to up-to-date techniques.
Innovative Training Approach
To address this gap, Kentalis International Foundation and OSNET launched a train-the-trainer program centered around the Reading Method for Early Literacy (RMEL). This blended learning course combines e-learning modules with on-site practical sessions.
Over a three-month period, Kentalis International Foundation's project leader Eva Geneste and experts Ank Willems and Wilma Wessels traveled twice to Tanzania. In the first phase, held in Morogoro, 12 selected teachers were trained to become future trainers. A month later, in Moshi, these newly trained educators led sessions for additional teachers under supervision.
Wilma Wessels reflected on the experience: “Our training methods, which are interactive and playful, were at first unfamiliar to the participants. But as the week progressed, enthusiasm grew.”
The initiative also made a significant impact through inclusivity. Both groups included deaf educators who participated using sign language and with the help of interpreters, emphasizing the importance of representation in training sessions.
Looking Ahead
Since we already extensively use e-learning in our blended courses, we aim to expand our e-learning reach in Tanzania. Therefore, we are collaborating with OSNET to configure a part of our e-learning platform so that OSNET can manage it independently.
OSNET is an organization with several hundred members active in inclusive education. By providing OSNET with its own section on our e-learning platform, they can grant access to their members and manage this indepedently. This way, we aim to scale our e-learning platform and increase our impact.
Curious about the topics covered in the e-learning platform of Kentalis International Foundation? Learn more about our courses here.
This is the first pilot testing of this collaborative e-learning structure, and the results will shape future initiatives across the region.
Get Involved!
Kentalis International Foundation is a small but impactful team within the Royal Kentalis group. We focus on global knowledge exchange to improve education for deaf and hard-of-hearing children, especially in the Global South. Our mission is supported by project-based external funding.
If you want to support our work, consider making a donation.