Factors That Affect Academic Performance Of The Mentally Challenged Learners In Regular Schools: A Case Study Of El-\1/Ak Zone, Mandera Central District Kenya

ABSTRACT

The study was intended to determine factors affecting academic performance of!earners with mental

deficits in regular schools within El-wak zone, Mandera Central district, Kenya. This study

involved gathering relevant information from all sources as secondary information and this helped

the researcher get a clear picture of all that was to be entailed in this study.

A descriptive design was employee! and in this case, a bigger part of the study employed qualitative

techniques but this does not rule out the fact that quantitative techniques had to be used in the

analysis part of the study. The findings from the study revealed that there were quite a number of

challenges being faced by the mentally retarded in regular schools and these among others included;

inadequate special education training of teacher to handle such learners, dull curriculum which does

not cater for the interests of learners who are mentally handicapped, inadequate learning resources,

and larger size classrooms all of which do not foster effective teaching and learning of the mentally

retarded learners. Recommendations were made which called for; creation of awareness to all people

of the importance of education, government involvement through equipping of schools with the requirements needed to foster learning for all and through the offering of incentives to schools, and creation of employment opportunities for the mentally retarded.