Classroom Experiences of Learners with Albinism in Selected Regular and Special Education Schools in Zambia

Learners with albinism potentially face a number of challenges in schools due to their skin condition. Albinism is an inherited condition from birth as a result of the absence of melanin pigment which usually changes the colour of the skin, hair and eyes. Albinism is usually greeted with disdain in most Bantu communities.  In Zambia, some communities consider it a bad omen to give birth to an albino. Therefore, attempts are made to either kill baby albinos at birth or banish them from the community. In schools, learners with albinism are constantly abused and ridiculed by other learners and are given demeaning social tags that serve as a form of stigma. Ostensibly, the discrimination against learners with albinism are underlain by religious and cultural beliefs. The overriding aim of this study was to establish the learning experiences of learners with albinism in both regular and special schools. The study was located within an interpretive qualitative paradigm and used a phenomenological research design while the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to explore in detail how participants made sense of their personal and social world with regard to learners with albinism in regular and special schools. The findings revealed that in regular schools, learners with albinism tended to exclude themselves from other learners so as to avoid discrimination and stereotypes surrounding their condition. The findings also confirmed the existence of myths and stereotypes regarding albinism. The findings further revealed that teachers in regular schools were not competent in handling learners with albinism as some teachers kept a social distance with learners with albinism. It was observed that most learners with albinism felt more secure in special schools than regular schools. The study recommended inter alia that school administrators and teachers should raise awareness campaigns on the plight of learners with albinism including other disability issues.