Crystal Asige calls for action to support PWD learners in Grade 10 transition
By Cy Muganda, January 20, 2026Nominated Senator Crystal Asige has criticised the government’s 100% transition policy for Grade ten learners, arguing that learners with disabilities are being systematically excluded from the Senior School transition despite official rhetoric about inclusive education.
In a statement posted on her X account on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, Asige questioned what the transition promise truly means when hundreds of thousands of learners with disabilities continue to be left behind due to lack of essential support systems.
“We talk about ‘100% transition,’ but what does that promise really mean when learners with disabilities are still being left out?” Asige stated.
Missing transition
According to the MP, more than 400,000 learners have failed to make it to Senior School, with a significant number being students with disabilities who face unique barriers to continuing their education.
“More than 400,000 learners haven’t made it to Senior School. A huge number are students with disabilities, young people for whom ‘transition’ isn’t a statistic but a daily struggle,” Asige stated.
She emphasised that for these learners, successful transition depends on practical support systems including accessible transport, functional assistive devices, reliable personal support, and schools equipped to meet their needs.
“It depends on transport they can actually use, assistive devices that work, personal support they can rely on, and schools equipped to meet their needs,” the MP said.
Fundamental shift needed
The legislator raised critical questions about whether learners with disabilities are even being properly counted in the education system’s data collection efforts, warning that this invisibility perpetuates their exclusion.
“Yet how many of them are even counted? How many show up in the data that shapes decisions about schools, bursaries, and support? And how can they possibly get a fair chance when the system barely acknowledges they exist?” she asked.
Asige called for a fundamental shift in how the education system approaches the transition challenge, urging authorities to begin with those most likely to be excluded rather than celebrating aggregate statistics that mask significant gaps.
“If we truly believe no learner should be left behind, then we have to begin with those most likely to be pushed aside,” she stated.