Mr Suleiman Usman, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Sokoto State, has pledged speedy consideration of Inclusive Education Policy in the state.
Usman made the pledge on Tuesday in Sokoto when the Technical Working Group (TWG) on Inclusive Education System established by an NGO, Action Aid Nigeria, visited him in his office.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that TWG is part of the NGO’s project tagged ”Tax Justice, Gender Responsive Public Service and Braking Barrier Project”, implemented in Sokoto State.
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The project is supported by Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD).
NAN reports that inclusive education policy is meant to provide unified platform for children living with disabilities to learn along with other normal children in the same school.
The attorney general said the draft policy would be a leverage to the State Universal Basic Education Law, Disability Law, Child Right Act and others already existing in the state.
Usman said the policy was a basic right of children and gave an assurance to pursue its implementation in the state.
He noted the lack of proper education facilities and exploitation of people in different aspects.
”I subscribe to the policy. I will look at the draft and pursue its passage at the Executive Council because it is meant to uplift people’s lives.
”We agree that children are the future. Disabled children should have education as other normal children as well as interact freely in all the processes,” Usman said.
He added that Gov. Aminu Tambuwal is fully interested and committed in approving desirable laws as policies that help people and uplift their living conditions.
According to him, Tambuwal’s efforts in this direction have manifested during his term as Speaker of the House of Representative, esentives and his present status as governor.
He said that Sokoto State did not discriminate between indigenes and non-indigenes on education policies and other services.
Usman commended the TWG members for their commitment and gave an assurance of his support to ensure implementation of the policies.
Earlier, TWG leader, Mr Mamuda Galadima, explained that the visit was part of the group’s advocacy efforts to solicit the support of notable personalities and stakeholders toward actualising the policy.
Galadima, a Director in the Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), explained that the groups that drafted the policy sought for attitudinal change in educational environment.
He said the draft policy also demanded for enhanced teachers’ skills on special education to satisfy educational needs of children living with disabilities.
According to him, other parts of the draft policy would ensure physical structures, infrastructure and friendly environment as well as accommodative of all categories of students irrespective of physical challenges.
He said that Action Aid worked in collaboration with Sokoto State Government on girl-child education which had led to the signing of a bill and facilitated high enrolment.
”ActionAid’s focus on the project is to ensure public education systems were more responsive to all children, especially the needs of girls and marginalised ones.
“The stand of the project is equality, equity and justice. We want to remove the barriers and one of these barriers is that public schools should increase access, especially the girl child, ’’ Galadima said.
The State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Alhaji Bello Abubakar, said he would ensure execution of the inclusive education policy.
Abubakar commended the TWG and NGO for the foresight which he said was in line with the state educational efforts for providing education to all citizens.
He said the state executed free education policy at primary and secondary levels as well as tertiary level and offered scholarships; even with foreign scholarships apart from routine payment for senior secondary examinations.
NAN reports that copies of the draft policy were handed over to the Commissioners. (NAN)
