By Ochogwu Sunday
The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, has urged education stakeholders to desist from rejecting Persons with Disabilities, PWDs, in school environments.
Sununu made the appeal while speaking in Abuja on Tuesday at the Federal Ministry of Education’s commemoration of the 2023 International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The minister was represented by his Special Adviser, Technical, Mrs Clarence Ujam.
The occasion, themed “United in Action to Rescue and Achieve the SDGs For, With, and By Persons With Disabilities,” was organised in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, AGILE, project.
Sununu commended the AGILE programme for championing the cause of PWDs, especially in seeing that persons with disabilities have a voice.
“It is disheartening to note that some people still perceive disability negatively; superstition and ignorance have greatly influenced their attitudes towards persons with disabilities.
“Most of the rights of people with disabilities are not given to them. These include the right to education, medical care, employment, and free movement,” Sununu said.
He said findings revealed that children with disabilities are rejected by public schools because of a lack of facilities and carers.
“This discrimination must stop with the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders,” Sununu said.