Achievement of universal primary education (UPE) is one of the key Education For all (EFA) goals and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be realized by countries including Zambia by 2015. To realize universal primary education, the government of Zambia declared free basic education in 2002 which has seen an increase in enrolment across the country. It also carried out reforms that included introducing basic schools. In addition, the advent and mushrooming of schools is seen as a welcome development for ensuring access, equity and quality of basic education in Zambia.
According to Brendan Carmoday, schools started operating in Zambia to respond to the needs of orphans, the poor and girl children who are often disadvantaged in the delivery of basic education services. In this regard, the government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders are encouraged to support schools so that they serve more disadvantaged groups in the society. It is against this background that this assay will discuss in details the growth of hearing impairment education in Zambia.
The term ‘hearing impaired’ has been used for all categories of hearing loss, that is, for all categories of hearing loss, that is, from very mild loss to the profoundly deaf person. Another term that is accepted is ‘hearing disability’ (Moores, 1996). Persons with hearing impairment may be divided into groups: The hard-of hearing person and the profound deaf. A hard of hearing person can hear sound especially when it is amplified by a hearing aid. Davis & Silverman (1998) emphasize that the hard of hearing are pupils whose sense of hearing though defective is functional with or without hearing aids. While it is generally agreed that the hard of hearing can hear speech sounds using hearing aids, it is argued the deaf children find it difficult to fit in the environment especially when found among the hearing children. A profound child has a hearing rate of over 91db. He or she is unable to perceive any sound.
In the years up to the 1950s, it was common practice for parents to hide children who had disabilities in their homes because of the attitudes and the beliefs people had towards these children. Generally people believed that having a child with a disability was a curse from God or some other super power or that the child brought bad omen on the parents and the entire family (Kalabula, 1998). Children with special needs were considered to have bad omen or spirits as such parents did not expose these children to the community as it brought shame and embarrassment on them.
In 1995, there were 31 special schools and 80 units in primary and secondary schools. The population of pupils with special needs in special schools and units was about 2000. The number of children with special needs increased from 0.1% in 1990 to 1% in 1995. Currently, special education provision is offered to the visually, hearing, physically and the mentally challenged.
However, education of the deaf did not start until in the late 1950s. This was when the first class was established at Magwero Special School. In relation to the special needs education, it was, as probably would be expected when resources were limited, worse off ordinary education. It was a situation of doing without except for the little that was provided exclusively voluntary missionary agencies, which mainly focused on the visually and hearing impaired (Kalabula 1989; Katwishi 1995). The African Reformed Church (formerly the Dutch Reformed Church) opened the first school for the visually impaired in 1995 at Magwero in Chipata (Eastern Province of Zambia) as well as a school for hearing impaired.
Education in Zambia is considered as a right for each child. It is a way of promoting the wellbeing and quality for the whole Zambian society. The Zambian government’s responsibility in education arises from its overall concern to protect the rights of individuals, promote social well-being and achieve a good quality of life for every person through all embracing, economic development. Education is intended to serve individual, social economic wellbeing, and to enhance the quality of life for all. The aim is guided by the principle of liberalization, decentralization, equity, partnership, and accountability. (MOE)
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has set goals of education system as (1) producing a capable learner; (2) increasing access to education and life skills training; (3) building capacity for the provision of quality education; (4) creating condition for effective coordination of policies, plans and programs, and rationalizing resource mobilization and utilization (ibid). Pupils with hearing impairment are also having access to free education, but despite the free education they still lack teachers who are have the methodology sign and oral language in these regular schools. The provision of quality of education and building capacity is just on paper for children with hearing impairment.
According to the current policy (MOE, 1996), the Ministry of Education intends to increase access, promote equality of educational opportunities and improve the quality of education for children with special needs. Special needs may be regarded as education that provides appropriate modification in curricula, teaching methods, education resources and medium of communication or the learning environment (Lerner, 1997). The modifications are meant to meet the special needs of individuals. The ministry further states that children with special needs will be included in the main stream in every school.
The implication of this policy ratifies the principle that every individual, regardless of personal circumstances or capacity, has a right of access to and participation in the education system. In realizing this principle, the government of Zambia has committed itself to training teachers in the field of special education. Further, the ministry looks forward to establishing assessment centers in all provincial and district resource centers for quick assessment of children with special needs (MOE, 2000).
In the past, special education was defined in terms of handicapped children with a range of physical, sensory, intellectual or emotional difficulties, who had to be, educated in certain ways and in particular settings. Based on the difference principle, there was a clear distinction between those who are labeled handicapped and the so called normal (MOE, 1996). Recent years have seen remarkable changes in the way special education is perceived.
This shift in outlook has emanated from a number of international policy documents. These have led to new approaches to education the world over. The inclusion of children with special educational needs in ordinary schools has become an increasing concrete objective in education systems including Zambia (ibid).
Inclusive education in Zambia is a recent phenomenon, which started in 1997. It started as a pilot study in Kalulushi District in the Copper belt Province of Zambia. Ten schools were identified for the pilot study. After one year, evaluation was carried out to find out the successes and the failure of inclusive education in the district. After evaluation it spread to all the nine provinces of Zambia (Inclusive 2002).
Since the year 2003, the Ministry of Education has taken a positive step in the education of children with hearing impairments by placing inspectorate sections in every province and district to help monitor special education programs. Currently, the inclusive education program is also implemented in some schools countrywide. However, the systems of identifying and contacting children with hearing impairments which is the basis for assessment , placement and rehabilitation is still not yet fully developed. The procurement of learning and teaching materials and poor infrastructure in schools and training of regular teachers teaching children with hearing impairments in regular classes are also other challenges. Indirectly this still implies insufficient education for the hearing impaired children (ibid).

REFERENCES
Davis, H. & Silverman, R. S. (1998). Hearing and Deafness (4th Ed.). New York, Holt, Reinhart and Watson.
Kalabula, D. M., (1998). Special Education in Zambia: A Historical Review and Education for the Visually Handicapped Children. An Unpublished Master of Education dissertation, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Katwishi, S. (1995). Viability of Developing Early Identification and Intervention Services for Young Children with impairments in Zambia. An Unpublished PhD Thesis. University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Lerner, J. (1997). Learning Disabilities. Theories, Diagnosis, and Teaching Strategies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Moores, D.E. (1996). Educating the Deaf. Psychology, Principle and Practices
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Mwanakatwe, J. M. (1994). The Growth of Education in Zambia Since Independence. London: Oxford University Press.
Mwondela, W. R. (1972). Traditional Education in North-Western Zambia. Lusaka: NECZA
Sletmo, E. (1997) Hearing and Hearing Impairment. Unpublished Handout, International Division, Department of Special Needs Education University of Oslo.