Some concerned civil society organisations (CSOs) in the educational sector has commended the progressive budgetary allocation to education by the Lagos State government, and urged the by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration to expedite action on inclusive and equitable education in view of the state’s leave-no-child-behind policy on education.
The CSOs made these demands while on a courtesy visit to Folashade Adefisayo, the Lagos State Commissioner for education at the state secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja and were received by the Abayomi Abolaji, the permanent secretary, ministry of Education, Lagos State, who addressed the delegation on behalf of the state commissioner for education.
According to the group, the Lagos state inclusive education policy is due for review and believes reviewing it now will be an enactment of the state’s government commitment to achieving the leave-no-child-behind initiative, which will make it an active policy. They also urged the state government to bridge the capacity gap of teachers in the state’s public schools, especially at the basic education level, calling on the state to develop a web-based platform to speed up the process of inclusive education for all teachers in Lagos state.
“We know that inclusive education is in 44 schools at the moment; but, we know that when human capacity is lacking in that area, there is little that we can do. We are proposing a web-based platform that we begin to build the capacity of all teachers preparing them to take on inclusive education in all schools in Lagos state such that we can break the barrier of distance for children with disabilities; so that they can access any school closer to them,” said Samuel Ajayi, program officer, human development initiatives (HDI).
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According to Ajayi, the state government cannot achieve inclusive and equitable education without collaboration with stakeholders in the sector. Hence, the CSOs proposed that the government through the ministry of education set up a working committee to expedite action on the recommendations submitted to the government.
On her part, the executive director of HDI, Olufunso Owasanoye, congratulated Abayomi Abolaji on his elevation as the permanent secretary, ministry of Education, Lagos State. According to her, Abolaji has been supportive of programmes relating to basic education in Lagos and it is not surprising that the state government has appointed him as the PS for education in Lagos.
Olajumoke Matilda Otitoloju, the project coordinator, Iyaniwura Children Care Foundation (ICCF) said, children with disability have a peculiar need that actually did not require special things to be educated. However, she posits that there is a need to change the narrative around children with disabilities by talking about diversity and providing equity in education.
“When we talk about peoples’ differences: we talk about equity in the classroom where teachers are going to teach. And, I know that when we were growing up, there was diversity, there was equity – teacher teaches every child as an individual,” said Otitoloju, stating that there is a need to do away with the term special needs because it discriminate against children with disability in the school and society at large.
Abayomi Abolaji, who was recently appointed as the permanent secretary, ministry of Education, Lagos State, in response to the demand raised by the CSOs assures the delegation that the state government is passionate about inclusive education and will segregate against any child in the state. According to him, the state government is currently working on some proposals in regard to schools with special needs, while the policy on inclusive education will be deepened in the state.
“We realised that these people, though physically challenged, have the same possibilities like many of us. We have the same opportunities, we have the same fortune except that privileges have just given some people an edge,” said Abolaji, stating that the state will expand on the current schools running inclusive education, while it looks deeper into making existing schools to be inclusive in their admission processes.
Present at the courtesy visit were representatives from HDI Nigeria, CSACEFA, JONAPWD, Iyaniwura Foundation, School-based management committees and some independent monitors representing Amuwo-Odofin and Ojo Local Government Areas of Lagos, on an advocacy visit to Lagos State Ministry of Education.
The delegation requested for approval to monitor UBE projects in public junior secondary schools in Lagos State, and equally urged the Lagos State government to consider special education at the tertiary institution level across the state.
