• Adedugbe, consummate educationist, calls for govt. financial intervention in the training of special-needs schoolchildren
By Jet Stanley Madu
The dearth of institutions for special-needs education remains a daunting task in solving the challenges of education in Nigeria. This is the view of Mrs. Omolara Adedugbe, an educationist who has been training regular and special needs children for years. Unlike the regular or conventional school, one hurdle that needs to be crossed in operating special needs school is the huge capital required, she said.
Reason is that only the services of special educators are required, she noted. Secondly, to achieve effectiveness in tutoring the hearing-impaired, only about 10-12 pupils/students are expected to constitute a class. Thirdly, the children, especially those with speech and hearing problems, need a lot of gadgets for speech therapy as well as professionals in speech therapy. “You can then imagine how much it will cost to get all these things together,” she added.
Adedugbe, Executive Director, M.D. Schools, a private-owned institution that trains regular and special-needs students, while speaking at a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)-event, organised by the students and staff of the school, in conjunction with the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), to clear garbage at the New Oja-Oba market and around the school surrounding, expressed her disappointment on dearth of special-needs teachers training institutions.
“We have Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, training special teachers for the hearing-impaired, the visually-impaired, for all areas of special needs and for even the gifted,” she recounted. “Also, the University of Ibadan has special education department under the Faculty of Education. The University of Jos has a special education unit.”
Adedugbe revealed that Nigeria’s policy on special-needs education provides some form of subvention from the three tiers of government but accessing the aid has always been a Herculean task. She insisted that government has great role to play in educating people with learning challenges. She lamented the lack of interest on the part of government to recognize the need for special schools. According to her, private operators have continued to bear the brunt of training special needs students.
“Government has a duty towards her special needs children and has to assist to cater for these children,” she insisted. “We are passionate about special needs children. So, we’re subsidizing and we expect government to also assist us. If private schools are taking that lead, then government is supposed to come to their aid, so that together, we can bring up these children for the betterment of the society.”
As part of the programmes, the Head of School, Mrs. Olusala Akaiso explained that the Inner Wheel Club of Gbagada, District 911 Nigeria partnered the school to organize a symposium and to host the special-needs children. Dr. Olulolapo Ogunbambi, an internationally acclaimed special educator, delivered the keynote address.
The event was however, not all about special-needs children. During the interschool art/music competition, a member of the school Governing Council, Mr. Olukayode Olufemi stated that the Omole, Agidingbi and Okoba locations of the school had all its members of staff and students participate in the two-week long event that witnessed, among other things, a road walk, inter-school arts/music competition and Parents Teachers’ Association gala night.
The CSR-event also saw people from the immediate community benefit from free medical check-ups as part of programmes organised to mark the 30th anniversary of the school.