All 172 children with disabilities were being cared for by several NGOs across the country. There are possibly many other others who received outreach and are enrolled in school but are unaccounted for. Data is lacking in that sense.

Pre-school/Stimulation Centers (Botswana)

- There was a projected increase in the number of visually-impaired (VI) and or healing-impaired (HI) students due to infections arising from HIV/AIDS. However, a projected 1000 HI students were not having their needs met. 
- 0.27% of students at the primary school level were students with special needs that were enrolled in primary schools or NGO programs. 0.08% of students at the junior secondary school level were students with special needs that were enrolled in junior secondary schools or NGO programs. Few students with VI and HI went into senior secondary schooling.

Schools at Primary and Secondary Level (Botswana)

- 4.2% of students in vocational training are those with special needs.
- 0.7% of students post-secondary schooling are identified as having special needs and requiring further support
- Of the students with special needs, 71% were unemployed once they finished their education. 

Vocational training/Post-secondary School

Many students with severe special physical and learning disabilities are not accounted for above. Even those enrolled in schooling and educational programs get little support from institutions, with many not having their needs identified. Programs in place to provide for such needs are not very active. The significant number of unemployed people with special needs, post-schooling, is reported as due to illiteracy and lack of wok skills.

Main Observations on Special Education Provision as of 2007

- Pre-school/Stimulation Centers
- Schools at Primary and Secondary Level
- Vocational Training/Post-secondary Schooling
- Main Observations

University of Notre Dame

Attitudes towards people with disabilities in Botswana appear to be changing for the better, with the promotion of greater inclusivity; however, there are still parts of the population that hold negative associations with these individuals. Policies have been put into place to improve general education, though it is clear that more needs to be done to further promote and provide for the practice of the inclusive model of education.

Inclusive Education in Botswana

Dart, G. (2007). Provision for Learners with Special Educational Needs in Botswana; A Situational Analysis. International Journal of Special Education, 22(2), 56–66. 

Provision for Learners with Special Educational Needs in Botswana; A Situational Analysis

- Traditionally, children with special needs would be considered special needs under the current guidelines and would likely have done well under the traditional system of oral tradition and practical-skill learning. Missionaries and the regional authorities scrapped the system in favor of Christian practices.
- First provisions for children with special needs were provided by Church groups and NGOs.
- 1969: Dutch Reformed Church and Lutheran Church set up schools for visually and hearing impaired
- 1971: Camphill Community started a school for the mentally and physically impaired
- 1994: Unit for Special Education in the Ministry of Education upgraded to a division

Historical Context of IE in Botswana

- Jomtien Declaration (UNESCO 1990)
- Dakar Framework for Action (UNESCO 2000)

Special Education Policies in Botswana - International

- First education policy, 1977
- Revised National Policy for Education (RNPE), 1994
- National Policy on Vocational Education and Training, 1997
- Early Childhood Carrer and Education Policy, 2001
- National Development Plan 9, 2003
- Vision 2016 (from 1997)

Special Education Policies in Botswana - National

Several barriers to education were identified in Botswana, with different authors and studies agreeing on certain areas of improvement.

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