UBEC to end exclusion of children with disabilities
…Rolls out landmark inclusive education framework
By Joseph Erunke
Abuja-In a major push to dismantle barriers preventing children with disabilities from accessing quality education, the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, has unveiled a comprehensive national framework designed to transform inclusive learning across Nigeria’s basic education system.
The initiative, unveiled in Abuja yesterday, introduced the National Special and Inclusive Basic Education Minimum Standards, Implementation Guidelines and a Functional Difficulty Early Identification Tool, marking what the commission described as a significant shift towards ensuring that no Nigerian child was denied education because of disability or developmental challenges.
Speaking at the national stakeholder engagement on the utilisation of the new instruments, UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Aisha Garba, said the reforms were aimed at reversing decades of exclusion that had left thousands of children with disabilities outside the classroom or unable to realise their full academic potential.
Represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Razak Akinyemi, Garba lamented that despite improvements in school enrollment over the years, children with disabilities continued to face enormous obstacles to accessing, remaining in and benefiting from basic education.
She cited findings by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,UNESCO, and the United Nations Children’s Fund,UNICEF, which showed that children with disabilities were significantly less likely to complete basic education due to poor early identification of learning difficulties, inaccessible school environments and inadequate teacher preparation.
To reverse the trend, Garba said UBEC has developed three strategic national instruments that would standardise inclusive education and strengthen support for learners with disabilities nationwide.
She explained that the National Special and Inclusive Basic Education Minimum Standards established clear benchmarks covering school governance, accessible infrastructure, teacher competencies, curriculum adaptation, assistive technology, learner assessment, safeguarding and quality assurance.
According to her, the standards will ensure greater accountability, uniformity and equity in the delivery of inclusive education across all states.
Garba added that the newly introduced implementation guidelines clearly assigned responsibilities to UBEC, State Universal Basic Education Boards, SUBEBs, Local Government Education Authorities, LGEA, school administrators, teachers, School-Based Management Committees and communities to ensure effective implementation of inclusive education policies.
Garba commended the federal ministry of education for providing policy direction and acknowledged the technical support of UNICEF and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, CHAI, in developing and validating the national documents.
Also speaking, UNICEF Education Officer, Blessing Afuwai, described the initiative as a major milestone that would strengthen states’ capacity to identify children with disabilities early and provide them with the support needed to succeed in school.
She reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to supporting the federal government and UBEC in implementing inclusive education policies, stressing that early detection, accessible learning environments and well-trained teachers remained critical to guaranteeing quality education for vulnerable children.
Earlier in his remarks, the Acting Director of UBEC’s Department of Special Programmes and Early Childhood, Dr. Chijioke Onwuzurike, described the workshop as a critical national intervention aimed at closing the persistent gap between inclusive education policies and their implementation.
He said the engagement was designed to equip directors of special programmes and special education desk officers from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, with practical skills and standardised tools needed to translate policy into measurable improvements in learning outcomes for children with disabilities and other learners requiring specialised educational support.
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