EXCLUSION AND IGNORANCE: THE EXTENT TO WHICH STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS (DYSLEXIA AND DYSCALCULIA) ARE ACCOMMODATED IN THE PUBLIC EXAMINATION SYSTEM IN ZIMBABWE

This article highlights the challenges faced by pupils with Dyslexia and dyscalculia as conditions inhibiting learning at ‘O’ level as they respond to instruction and final assessment. The study was conducted using the Aptitude Treatment Interaction research methods based on an educational inquiry. The method was chosen for it allows converging data from observation, analysis of documents and interviews. The paper is anchored in the democratic theory of learning. The purpose of the research was to find out the extent to which the needs of children with special conditions like, dyslexia and dyscalculia have been accommodated and met by the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council at Ordinary level. This study sought to highlight provisions if they are there which governs candidates with special needs, special considerations and special arrangements that are in place during national assessment. This paper has been prompted by the contemporary philosophy of inclusion which advocates for one classroom, one teacher, one curriculum and one examination. While this philosophy is noble, this research has gathered that provisions for learning and assessment for children with special conditions are inadequate in Zimbabwe. The paper discovered that dyslexia and dyscalculia are conditions that are not known in the African culture as a result pupils with the conditions are labeled as incompetent and slow learners. The other finding of this paper was that students that are excluded may not know that they are being excluded. Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council caters for children with observable disabilities and impairments. The research also discovered that there are very few teachers who have been trained to handle children with special needs and that schools lack special services needed for these children. This research also gathered that few schools that have facilities for special conditions are too expensive for ordinary people to afford. The philosophy of inclusion if not properly implemented may end up disadvantaging the special needs children as demands set for them in a normal class may be too high for them.