By Ere-ebi Agedah Imisi
The Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons With Disabilities, Mr. James David Lalu has re-echoed the importance of education for Persons with disabilities and opined that Special schools across the country need more funding and attention to make impacts.
He made this disclosure in Abuja while receiving in audience a delegation from Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, on Wednesday.
Lalu took time to appreciate the staff of FULafia for the attention being given to Special education and students with disabilities at the Institution.
“We will continue to thank our teachers for their support and kind attention in ensuring the inclusivity of PWDs and providing Accessible means to them through the school” He said.
The ES used the medium to disclose that the much-awaited Accessibility standard code will be made available soon after which there will be no more excuses of non-compliance by stakeholders in the engineering sector.
Speaking on the programmes planned for students with disabilities, the ES reiterated scholarship schemes mapped out by the Commission to assist students in order to complete their education in various faculties up from primary to tertiary institutions.
The ES further reiterated the importance of Sign language communication which is fast gaining relevance in the communication cycle.
He said the call for sign language interpreters across government offices is increasing.
“We are equally working on the Nigerian Sign language dictionary which will capture major dialects in Nigeria; we cannot continue to rely on the American version of sign language at the expense of our diversity in Nigeria” he asserted.
Lalu also promised to create a lasting support services between the international Agencies and the Staff of the University.
Earlier in his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Lafia, Prof. Shehu Abdul Rahman appreciated the ES for his cordality and the partnership with the University which he said is very invaluable.
He described the curriculum appraisal of sign language communication as a unique step taken in the right direction and assured that the outcome is being considered at various stages in the institution for adoption and implementation.
The VC, however, seized the occasion to solicit the intervention of the Commission on TETFUND for tye construction of Special Needs Education & Rehabilitation of the Science Department office complex in the campus.
Adding to the discourse is the Dean, Faculty of Education, Prof. Josephine Odey who spoke on the commitment of United Nations to ensuring that every child succeeds in his endeavour irrespective of the challenges.
“No child should be denied access to quality education because it is their fundamental right” she said.
High point of the visit was the presentation of the Digital Audiology Machine to the Vice Chancellor of the University by the ES.
