By NAN
Mr James Lalu, the Executive Secretary of National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) says all is set to develop curriculum on disability and inclusive development of Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in educational institutions in the country.
Lalu disclosed this in his address of welcome at a ‘5-Day Workshop on Curriculum Development on Disability and Inclusive Development’ on Monday in Abuja.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop brought together scholars from Universities of Jos, Ibadan, other tertiary institutions and other relevant stakeholders.
Lalu said the intention to develop the curriculum for PWD was tied to section 18 of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disability Prohibition Act 2008.
“Section 18, Subsection 2 specifically gave us the powers to be able to review our own curriculums and find a way to include disability and inclusive development in what we are teaching our students in the universities.
“We are teaching our students in the school, so, that would mark the basis for us to be able to eliminate discrimination from the root.
” Discrimination against PWDs is becoming too rampant in the society, there is a way that we would harmonise our interests with the academia to see what we can do to correct these type of attitude.
“We are here today, not to share stories, we are here today not to share experiences, but we are here today to gather all the experiences we have over time to put them on paper.
“So that we can develop a minimum curriculum approach for us to be able to forward it to the regulatory bodies for us to be able to achieve this,” Lalu said.
He said all the great men including administrators, Chief Executive Officers of Agencies, organisations and even Politicians passed through the hands of teachers at various levels of education.
“If what the teachers taught us in the schools were not the real thing, we couldn’t have been able to do what is expected of us today.
“I am happy that we are here with you today in this project. We want to see how we can develop curriculum that would impact knowledge about disability inclusive development into our undergraduates.
“After we get the curriculum, we would forward it to the National University Commission (NUC) and others for consideration and approval and subsequent adoptation by the relevant authorities,” Lalu said.
He explained that he was able to meet with some Vice Chancellors of universities, adding that they are passionate about implementation.
According to him, millions of children with disabilities are out of school and that most of them would want to go back to school, “that is why we are bringing out programmes like this”.
“Most of them would get scholarships to study abroad and withing the country next year. Also, every police station will soon have a desk for PWDs,” Lalu said.
Speaking, Prof. Julius Ademokoya, from University of Ibadan, thanked Lalu for the opportunity, adding that the assignment was coming at the appropriate time.
“This is because for the past eight months, the NUC have been reviewing the old curriculum and bringing in new ones. I am happy to know that NCPWD has decided to take disability to all institution of learning.
“I want to say that we are here to touch lives of PWDs and generations yet unborn. It calls for sacrifice and dedication,” Ademokoya said.
Similarly, Dr Juliana Bodang, a nun from the University of Jos in Plateau, said it was her desire that something was done to encourage PWD to attain any level of education in the country.
“I am happy that this curriculum would be develop. PWD are part and parcel of us in the society. We cannot exclude them. I am sure all of us would put in our best to ensure we come up with the best”.
Also, Dr Iquo Okon from the Academic Programmes Department of the National Commission for Colleges of Education, Abuja said the initiation to develop the curriculum for disability inclusion indicated that the NCPWD was not sleeping.
“We as a Commission shall continue to collaborate with the NCPWD. After the draft of the curriculum, we would look at it and adopt it into our own curriculum”.
Meanwhile, Mr Ishiyaku Adamu, the National President of National Association of the Blind congratulated the NCPWD, adding that the Commission is moving at a fast speed to make life better for PWDs in the country.
“It is a great thing to propagate inclusion. This programmes is commendable and we will do everything possible to support this process.
“With this disability inclusion, about 31.5 million PWDs are coming.back to the stream of things in the country. We will take the opportunity to contribute our quota to the development of the country,” Adamu said. (NAN)