As part of series of activities to make the new year celebrations a memorable event, Prissy Family Talkshow threw a special party for Students with Disabilities of Special Education Centre, Gombe tagged “Special Program for Children with Special Needs: Embracing Diversity & Celebrating Strengths”
The co-convener, Mr. Muhsin Jibi Maigoro, said “PWDs are very important in the society, it’s unfortunate that they are seen roaming the streets begging for alms because they are mostly poor and do not have equal opportunity for education.
“There is an urgent need for proper support from governments at all levels, cooperate and prominent individuals, private sectors as well as parents.”
He added that, Prissy Family is very much concerned with the terrible situation of PWDs especially women among them, noting that women with Disabilities have faced enormous amount of social, economical and educational challenges in their lives. According to him, “such challenges stem from lack of proper access to medical, denial of education, marital discrimination, rape etc”
He stressed the urgent need for more collaborative actions from all quarters, adding that “this children need full support from all of us so that they can continue with their academic pursuits, it’s high time to engage in fuller cooperation with other development NGOs to provide support to students with disabilities and other vulnerable groups in the society”
Earlier, the principal of the school, Mal Mohammed Ahmed Lawal expressed immense gratitude to the Prissy Family Talkshow for the recognition and support given to the students.
He enlisted some of the pressing challenges militating against the development of the centre since it’s establishment in 2000. He said, “due to the limited number of people that are here, may be the messages I want to deliver may not reach the right destinations.”
On the myriads of challenges facing the centre, the school administrator noted that “in addition to the lingering educational discrimination already affecting students from within their respective families, communities and societies at large, the centre is grappled with more challenges which according to him including the security challenges, lack of potable drinking water, insufficient hostel accommodation, shortage of mattresses, inadequate teaching and non-teaching staff. Others include inadequate provision of Medicine in the school clinic and other medical facilities, lack of school library among other challenges.
On his part, the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Chairman of the centre, Mal Abdulkarim Abubakar who could not hide his admiration to the CEO of Prissy Family Talkshow, whose name was given as Mrs, Prissy, heaped praises and prayers on the CEO for exhibiting uncommon love and affection to PWDs of the centre.
It was gethered during the occasion, members of the public especially those in the position of authority such government officials, community and religious leaders, traditional rulers, policy makers, businesses owners, teachers, parents etc were called to action to derive and facilitate the integration of PWDs in the society
INN reports that this clarion call was delivered by a representative of Gombe State House of Assembly in person of Hon. Imran Hamza in a call to action speech he presented to the audience during the talkshow.
His words, “I am certain that PWDs everywhere they are can contribute meaningfully to the development of their immediate community and society at large if they are given the ample opportunity to do so”
“I knew of a blind man who repairs car for 20 years, his blindness condition is not a barrier to achieve that. Therefore, I call on all well meaning patriotic citizens of Gombe state and the country at large to come together to join ranks with Prissy Family and others to workout modality that would solve the challenges facing PWDs and other vulnerable groups in the society. It’s not only when it affect us or our family members that we can act, let’s act now, this is the time we all need to act” he said.