Story by Fairstars Mukungurutse
THE government is urging employers to prioritise the recruitment of individuals with disabilities as part of advancing equal opportunities and social inclusion.
Research indicates that people with disability face limited access to employment opportunities compared to their able-bodied counterparts, hence the call for businesses and organisations to recruit and retain workers with disabilities.
Public service, labour, and social welfare minister Honourable Edgar Moyo spoke on the need to reduce the disability employment gap.
“I am sure that in the government, all Ministries have received the directive that they must give preference to disabled people for employment opportunities. I encourage that if the disabled community finds themselves being excluded because of their disability, let us have that information; we have inspectors at the head office, provincial, and district levels. We have officers who deal with these issues. So, it would help us to get that information so we can address the problem. We would like to call upon everybody who has an opportunity to employ disabled people to do so, because it is in the interest of everyone to assist them so they can stand on their own and not be looked after by other people. It enhances their dignity if they are employed,” he said.
The government has also made a bold pledge to ensure children with disabilities have equal access to quality education.
“Children living with disabilities are catered for under the Basic Education Assistance Module. There are school selection committees right at the school level, at the local level, and at the village or ward level. People in that committee know who is affected, who deserves better, and we expect that the said committee is responsible enough to ensure that disabled children are given first preference. What we do as the Government, for those who are disabled and are in institutions, is that for every opportunity we receive money for BEAM, for example, we send that money to those schools. We have received so far two tranches of 20 million, and all that money has been sent to institutions that cater for disabled children,” Honourable Moyo added.
So, special needs are a critical area, and we want school selection committees to make sure the children are absorbed into the programme. Also, as the Head Office in charge of BEAM, we make sure that every cent that we get is given the highest priority to send it to special needs schools.
The government launched the National disability policy in 2021, charting the course for a more inclusive and equitable society in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
