In its bid to give priority to Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), Kogi State Government has again conducted interviews for the deaf and visually impaired applicants for recruitment as secondary school teachers in the state.
It would be recalled that some dsabled applicant teachers on Monday expressed their gratitude to Gov. Yahaya Bello for considering their plight and for giving them priority.
In the same vein, the state government also gave special consideration for the deaf and visually impaired applicant teachers who were interviewed on Wednesday at the venue of the on-going oral interviews in Lokoja.
Speaking briefly with newsmen at the venue, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Wemi Jones, FCIB, said the Governor believed that everybody should be given equal opportunity.
According to him, the Governor knows that the people with disabilities have not been fairly treated in the past under the previous administrations in the state.
”Our Governor, Alh Yahaya Bello believe so much in capacity; the fact that you are physically challenged or living with one form of disability or the other does not make you a less human.
”His Excellency believes that everybody must be given equal opportunity, and that is what we are just trying to exemplify by inviting people with disabilities at the last day of the interview when we have less crowd.
”This would make them to be at peace and their mind would be at rest to attend to interview questions.
”This is just in conformity with the belief and vision of our governor,” the commissioner said.
Earlier, Mr Abiodun Anifowose, the Coordinator of Deaf People in Kogi State, who brought the applicants, commended the commissioner and the governor for giving his people special treatment.
”From the inception of this government when the Governor appointed several PWDs as Special Advisers and SSAs, I knew something like this will come.
”This is an inclusive recruitment. For the commissioner for education to be on ground to personally attend to us, it is a thing of joy to us.
‘It really shows that we are not left out. We thanks the state government for treating specially,” he said.
It’s reported that no fewer than eight male and female applicants who were deaf and visually impaired were interviewed.