About University of Buea UNESCO CHAIR

UNESCO Chair in Special Needs Education (820), established in 2008 at the University of Buea (Cameroon).

Fields/Disciplines

Special Needs Education(SNE).

Host Institution

University of Buea (Cameroon).

UNESCO Sector/Office responsible for the Chair/Network

Education; UNESCO Yaoundé.

Contact

Prof. Therese Mungah Shalo Tchombe, UNESCO Chairholder
Centre for Research in Child and Family Development in Education
University of Buea
P.O. Box 901
Limbe
Cameroon

E-mail: tmtchombe(at)yahoo.co.uk

Phone: (+237) 77 78 36 35

Objectives

The overall objective of the UNESCO CHAIR is to enable the University of Buea, through the Department of Educational Psychology at the Faculty of Education, to

  • Develop capacity in SNE through long and short courses;
  • Conduct Action Research;
  • Develop competence in the use of assistive technologies;
  • Implement inclusive education to assist all learners experiencing barriers to learning;
  • Extend its facilities to countries of the Region in Africa;
  • Create strategies for networking with other identified universities in sub-Saharan Africa;
Expected Outcomes/Output

The overall objective of the UNESCO CHAIR is to enable the University of Buea, through the Department of Educational Psychology at the Faculty of Education, to

  • Strategic skills of planning to enhance institutional capacity acquired for SEN and all learners experiencing barriers to learning;
  • Vision of “African Decade of disabled persons” strengthened;
  • Increased use of assistive technology to ensure full participation for all types learners in an inclusive classroom Skills for instructional procedures for inclusive education acquired for SNE learners and others excluded from quality education;
  • Technical expertise in handling resource rooms acquired;
  • Ability to utilize specific skills for special needs children acquired;
  • Knowledge of research methods in SNE improved;
  • Resource Center for training, interventions, rehabilitation and testing created;
  • Strategies to strengthen approaches for inclusive education in the Region through capacity building , lectures, dialogues and conversations on global concerns of disabilities through South- South and North South dialogues obtained- To go beyond concerns of persons with disabilities;
  • Develop training manuals for short courses (these can be used to train other teachers);
  • Challenges faced by institutions and organizations offering special needs facilities identified;
  • Regional plan of action that is context specific formulated;
  • Network for capacity building created;
  • An aggregated statistical database for persons with disabilities in the region built;
  • Teacher educators and their institutions supported to practice inclusive education;
Types of Activities
  • Research and Intervention, Rehabilitation, Testing;
  • Publications;
  • Seminars, Conferences and Workshops;
  • Sensitisation workshops for other institutions, stakeholders etc;
  • Advocacy/awareness;
  • Assessment – (this is for identification and placement of disabled students);
Types of Activities
  • Research and Intervention, Rehabilitation, Testing;
  • Publications;
  • Seminars, Conferences and Workshops;
  • Sensitisation workshops for other institutions, stakeholders etc;
  • Advocacy/awareness;
  • Assessment – (this is for identification and placement of disabled students);
Target Beneficiaries
  • Organisations for and of disabled persons;
  • The Disabled and their Families;
  • Academic staff ;
  • Researchers;
  • Administrators;
  • Support staff;
  • Teachers;
  • Other learners who are excluded from quality education due to other factors (e.g. orphans, marginalized children of various types;