Children with Disabilities in Nigeria have long suffered inaccessible education and lack of facilities that would have made teaching and learning easier for them in Nigerian schools.
Teachers with Disabilities in an interview with Inclusive News Network, INN spoke on the need to make provision for accessible education and conducive learning environment for better teaching and learning to take place in Nigeria.
Constance Onyemaechi Nneka, an albinism teacher at Vokessel Schools at Ijegun Satellite Town, Lagos who spoke with INN said the education in Nigeria is not Inclusive and it doesn’t take into consideration the peculiar needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs).
She said that an albino is not able to see far objects and that includes what is written on the board when they are placed at the back or middle row to seat and that it leads to loss of interest in school work, and low productivity or no productivity.
“The teaching materials most times are printed in small letters and it makes it difficult for me to read,” she added.
Another person with disability, a blind teacher at Pan African School of Social Work, Abuja, Dr Sam Ebifa, told INN that children with disabilities have done well in diverse fields but not without sorrowful stories.
He added that without facilities and infrastructure they have tried forcing their way through school even though with tears.
“Teaching and teacher education on disability has been poorly managed and executed. The quality of learning that takes place in limited institutions that offer special education is very poor, for instance, teachers who studied special education (vh) but cannot read, teach or write with braille,” opined Dr Ebifa.
“Facilities for adequate training of special educators are lacking in most of the training institutes. Also the brain drain syndrome have also affected the quality of personnel available to teach in the field of special education and rehabilitation” She said.
Nnenna Alaukwu, a teacher with physical Disability at Urban Boy’s Secondary School, Nsukka, Enugu stated that Nigeria is not fair in the education of children with disabilities because the environment is not conducive and access to classroom is discouraging.
She explained that some teachers isolate children with disabilities as if it is their choice to be disabled. But enlightenment by NGO and campaign by people with disabilities has made them to put more effort in inclusive education.
Ms Alaukwu lamented, “some schools don’t admit children with disabilities because they feel they are outcast based on this, the cost of their education is on the high rate.”
She explained that during the pandemic (Covid-19), Nigeria was not fair on the education of children with disabilities, adding that there was no access to this children by their teachers because everyone was asked to go home.
She also stated that the deaf and blind were excluded in online teaching.
“The blind can’t touch the teaching objects while the deaf can’t hear the radio teaching and there was no interpreter for them,” according to Ms Alaukwu.
“As a teacher with disability, Nigeria government are fair in employing person with disabilities to teach as their salary flow with ease but they don’t equip us. The classroom is not accessible. The students make mockery of us. We were made to stand and write on the black board. But it’s a good experience to impart knowledge and to showcase that there is ABILITY IN DISABILITY.”
Abiodun Teslim Balogun, a Deaf Principal Education Officer with Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja told INN that Nigeria is trying in the aspect of formulating policies on development Education of children with disabilities. Inclusive education policies, discrimination against PWDs bill, establishment of Disability commission by FG and some states, employment of teachers into our special schools etc are all good ideas.
He however added that Nigeria needs to improve in the implementation of these laudable policies in relation to education of PWDs, government has not been doing enough. I can say that Nigeria is still lagging behind in improving education of PWDs.
“The policy of inclusion only exists on paper as segregation is still being practised in most states.”
“Traditional and conventional pedagogy is still being used in teaching PWDs instead of embracing modern strategies.”
“In addition to the above, the ASL currently being used in Nigerian schools is outdated.”
The way forward
Speaking on the way forward, Miss Nneka asserted that “Teachers/Educators need to be sensitized on the needs of persons with disabilities and how to treat them for them to be productive.”
“Persons with albinism should be made to sit close to the board for them to see and understand better what is being taught.”
“Educators should STOP using demeaning words on them as that could lead to them having inferiority complex or low self-esteem.”
Ms. Alaukwu, while praising teachers for developing children with disabilities as great leaders, added that it takes them to be patient, to tolerance and love children with disabilities because without this ingredients, you can’t be able to impart knowledge on them.
“Also Nigeria needs access to technology in order to educate effectively.”
Mr. Balogun stated on the need for improved education of PWDs by training teachers on modern pedagogies, adoption of technologies and assistive devices as well as strengthening of the policy of inclusive education.
“Government need to take steps towards designing an Instructional Sign Language template that will accommodate all the common terminologies and vocabularies used by teachers in the classroom, especially for science subjects like mathematics which is a language on its own”
Dr. Sam Ebifa has advised the Nigerian government on the need to take deliberate steps to correct these anomalies.
2 comments
Good job keep it up
Thank you!