‘Lack of infrastructure, others hinder inclusive education’

Director of Child Guidance, School Counseling and Special Education, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs. Musa Ketim, yesterday said dearth of infrastructure and shortage of personnel are huge challenges to inclusive education in all public schools.

Other challenges to learning, according to her, are high ratio of pupils to teachers and inadequate instructional materials.

She stated this at a capacity building training for teachers in the state on inclusive education facilitated by ActionAid Nigeria in partnership with Human Development Initiatives (HDI).

Ketim said there was no superior or perfect teaching technique anywhere in the world to teach special needs children, but situations usually dictate which technique best suits peculiar situation, especially with special needs children.

“One should not forget that listening and attention are very short, so teachers should select a suitable technique according to the learners readiness,” she added.

She also stated that Lagos State has a policy on Inclusive Education, which is meant to address the educational requirements of all children and adults with special needs.

“The Inclusive Education Programme in the state is more of integration and main streaming, as there are challenges of infrastructure, shortage of personnel, high ratio of pupil-to-teacher and inadequate instructional materials. However, the groove is on moving accordingly,” she said.

She also disclosed that 30 primary and 13 secondary schools in Lagos are already inclusive.

Also speaking, a lecturer at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Dr. Aisha Abdullahi Ibrahim, noted that people and system disenable children with disability or special needs from competing and getting educated with their peers.

This, according to her, is why government must promote and fully budget for inclusive education in the entire country.