Latest reports from the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) have shown that 90 percent of children with disabilities in Nigeria are out of school and may never gain access to basic education in their lifetime.
This revelation is against the backdrop of findings that the UBE Act of 2004 is grossly deficient in the provision of the inclusive and accessible basic education to children with disabilities, in addition to inclusion of disability issues.
As a result, the JONAPWD, with the support of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Strengthening Advocacy and Civic Engagement programme in Nigeria, is implementing a programme tagged: “Strengthening the Capacity of Disabled People’s Organisations and relevant stakeholders to promote access of children with disabilities to inclusive basic education in Nigeria.”
A statement from USAID Nigeria said: “The project is designed to address inclusivity and accessibility gaps in the implementation of Universal Basic Education in Nigeria.”
The project, which kick-started through a baseline survey earlier conducted in September by JONAPWD, is to be implemented in three locations of Abuja, Akwa-Ibom State and Kwara State, respectively.
“The programme would also focus on ensuring that the UBE Act is reviewed and a National Policy on inclusive education is developed and implemented, and also ensuring that all Primary and secondary schools in Nigeria are remodelled to meet global standards of inclusion and accessibility for children with disabilities,” the statement said.
