Experts insist on inclusive education for PWDs

Experts in the education sector have called for an end to discrimination against children with special needs in primary and secondary schools across the country, insisting on inclusive education for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs)

This call was made at the Annual Inclusive Education Conference in Abuja, organised by the British Council. The conference reiterated the need to apply political will and funding to the national policy for inclusive education.

The conference with the theme, ‘Bridging the gap between inclusive education policy and practice,’ had serving and former education commissioners across the country in attendance.

Quoting the statistics from the United Nations Population Fund, the experts noted that an estimated 32 million persons in Nigeria, including children, live with one form of disability or the other and face different types of discrimination.

This, according to them, includes the inability to integrate into the classroom normal learning with other students.

Minister of State for Education, Dr Suwaiba Ahmad, said: “Together, we can close the gap that exists between policy and practice and move towards a truly inclusive education system.”

Former Commissioner for Education, Lagos State, Folashade Adefisayo, said that the main thing is implementing the things in those proposals.She said: “The federal and state governments should collaborate, be willing to listen and take on this policy, as well as provide funding for it and not just putting it in the budget.”

Rather than specialised schools for blind students or those who are deaf and dumb, the experts sought an integrated and unified classroom experience for all.