Abuja: Stakeholders in the disability sector have urged the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration to urgently implement its Inclusive Education Policy to ensure meaningful participation of children with intellectual disabilities in schools. They made the call on Thursday in Abuja, at an event themed ‘Breaking the Barriers: Turning Inclusive Education into Practice,’ organized by the Intellectual Disability Cluster under the Rights-In-Action Project.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the project is funded by Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with technical support from CBM Global Disability Inclusion, in partnership with Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) and the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD). Mr. Abdulazeez Musa, the Country Director of CBM Global Disability Inclusion, emphasized that inclusive education is a matter of human rights, dignity, and justice. He urged the government to provide adequate funding, teacher capacity development, accessible learning materials, and inclusive infrastructure to translate the policy into meaningful impact.
Musa also encouraged organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and self-advocates to be actively involved in the process, stressing that policies affecting Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) should be designed and implemented with them rather than for them. He called on families and communities to challenge stigma, urging educators to embrace inclusive teaching practices and the media to move beyond narratives of pity and charity in reporting disability issues.
Mrs. Ijeoma Fynecountry, Legal Resource Person for the Down Syndrome Foundation and Project Lead, highlighted that Nigeria’s commitment to inclusive education is anchored in both domestic and international legal instruments. She cited several international conventions and national laws that recognize education as a fundamental right. However, Fynecountry noted that the existence of laws and policies had not automatically translated into meaningful inclusion in classrooms.
Ms. Becky Selekere, Programmes Manager at RBM Autism Foundation, stated that the real test of inclusive education lies in a child’s ability to participate, communicate, learn, belong, and progress within the school environment. She stressed the importance of removing unnecessary barriers to provide children with disabilities a fair opportunity to meet educational expectations.
Representing the Intellectual Disability Cluster, Ayobami Adefioye, Programmes Manager at The Engraced Ones Prayers and Supports Advocacy Initiative, called for the meaningful participation of PWDs in the design, implementation, and monitoring of education policies. Adefioye emphasized the principle of ‘Nothing about us without us,’ advocating for PWDs to be treated as co-designers, co-implementers, and monitors of policies affecting them.
Adefioye called on the FCT Administration to increase budgetary allocation for inclusive education to 50 percent by 2027, create a dedicated budget line for inclusive education and assistive technology, and establish mainstream inclusive model schools in area councils. Adefioye also advocated for greater media coverage of disability issues and the adoption of inclusive language and positive narratives.