Wesley varsity advocates inclusive education for PWDs

Wesley University, Ondo State, has stressed the need for an inclusive education system that accommodates all forms of students with disabilities.

While stressing this during a press conference to herald the 13th convocation of the faith-based institution, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sunday Obeka, disclosed that the university is the only tertiary institution across the country that embodied the inclusive education project.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, 10 percent of the best graduating students were deaf students, stressing that no fewer than 39 students would be graduating with first-class honors in the 2023/2024 academic session.

Obeka explained that the total of 230 students would graduate across 45 undergraduate academic programs being run by the university.

He said: “Out of 230 students graduating this year, the university took note of the deaf scholars who are graduating, and we saw that about 10 percent of the best students are the deaf scholars of this university.

“In Wesley University today, we have deaf students who specialize in any field of their choice. We have deaf students who study computer science.

“We have deaf students who are in the law faculty. We have deaf students in the social services, and we have deaf students in other programs.

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“Six deaf students graduated last year at the upper level, and we have eight graduates who are deaf this year. And we pray that more deaf students will be graduating in other fields as we continue. Towards this end, Wesley University is collaborating with Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., in the area of deaf education,” he stated.

Obeka noted that the institution had a Directorate of Deaf and Special Needs Education, stating that it had empowered the deaf community and employed more deaf scholars.

He added said that the university’s management had approved a programme to educate all staff and students of the institution that would enable all communicate with the deaf community of the school.

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Obeka stressed further that the institution was also collaborating with Cliff College for its theological education program.

“Cliff College is one of the international colleges noted for theological programs. And Wesley University today is one of the universities across the country that offers up to Ph.D. in theology education programs.”

He appealed to the government to support the medical colleges in private universities in terms of salary payment and provision of infrastructure to tackle the shortage of health workers in the country.