By William J. Mbangula Oshakati The scope of special education in Namibia needs to change, from addressing obvious issues to the most special needs of the students including those who are mentally challenged. This was said by the head of special education at Ongwediva College of Education, Addy Ramushu, in an interview with New Era. According to him, the teacher training curriculum should include all the needs of the students, including special care for slow learners. He said: “I am emphasizing on the all-inclusive curriculum because the teachers are dealing with such circumstances on a daily basis in the classroom, and if they are not prepared to deal with individuals who need special care, they will not succeed in their teaching.” Ramushu, a Zimbabwean national who was a lecturer at the United College of Education in Bulawayo, came to Namibia in 2003 to help with the establishment of the special education unit at the OCE. His contract is due to expire at the end of the year, after which a Namibian understudy, Chris Dennis !Garus oab, will take over. Most of the visually impaired students at the teacher training college are from Gabriel Taapopi Secondary School, where a special project was established to produce Grade 12 candidates for the teaching profession. Such candidates are prepared at Eluwa Special School from the lower level up to Grade 10. The first intake of the special education students is expected to graduate early next year. Some of the challenges facing his students, said Ramushu, include the fact that some of the students do not want to be associated with a visual handicap. As a result, some of them refuse to use facilities provided to help them, such as reading lenses, close circuit television etc. Instead, they would rather rely on their friends to help them despite their need to use such facilities. “I am always trying to convince them to use the facilities, but I have come to realize that they shy away from the stigma of being associated with the handicap,” said Ramushu. Ongwediva College of Education is one of the institutions of higher learning that has no facilities which are friendly to people with disabilities. The college Rector, Fredrika Uahengo, said the introduction of such facilities is one of the future priorities in terms of infrastructure development.