Association urges inclusive education for children with disabilities in Gombe
The Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Gombe State chapter, has called on the state government to make provisions for inclusive education for children with disabilities across the state.
Mr Ishaku Adamu, the association’s chairman in Gombe State, who made the call at an event to commemorate the 2023 World Disabilities Day, said inclusive education would help empower PWDs to attain their full potential in life.
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Adamu said was imperative in view of the need to break the barrier of discrimination in accessing education and to ensure that PWDs were not stigmatised in any way.
He said inclusive education was necessary as it would help promote self confidence and self-esteem amongst his members.
He stated that it would also give the PWDs more opportunities in life and help other people to understand how capable and talented they were.
The chairman defined inclusive education as a system whereby those with special needs or those with disabilities and without disabilities received education under the same roof.
“The new approach worldwide is inclusive education. We do not want a situation whereby persons with disabilities are isolated in a particular environment.
“We want them to receive education in their environment, which is what the United Nations convention specifically mentioned; this is what we are advocating.
“We are not calling for the closure of special schools. We are saying that they can receive their primary education in that school where the deaf can learn sign language, where the blind can learn braille.
“But at the secondary level, they should continue with inclusive education,” he said.
The chairman also appealed to banks in the state to make all necessary provisions to ensure financial inclusion for his members.
“Financial inclusion is one of the very critical issues for so many of our members. Most of the banks are not accessible including their services.
“We are calling on all financial institutions and other public offices to ensure that they are inclusive because of the fact that persons with disabilities exist in the society.
“We don’t know who is next; we often say that disability is an open club, anyone can be a member.
“If you make the society better for everyone, you are making it better for yourself,” Adamu said.
While acknowledging that progress was being made in terms of promoting rights of PWDs, Adamu, however said his members were still grappling with a lot of issues
According to him, some of these issues include discrimination, poor access to education, health and employment opportunities.
Adamu commended Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State for efforts to ensure domestication of the state’s disability act and to establish a commission to cater for the interest of persons with disabilities in the state.
“It is, indeed, a step forward in promoting the rights of people living with disabilities in Gombe State,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a 2017 report on inclusive education by the World Bank and the Global Partnership for Education found that literacy among children with learning disabilities had increased globally.
The report, however, noted that these children remained excluded from educational policies and still lagged far behind their peers.
NAN also reports that Dec. 3 is observed as International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The theme for 2023 is “United in action to rescue and achieve the SDGs for, with and by persons with disabilities.”
