The Executive Director, Women with Disability Self Reliance Foundation, Risikat Toyin Muhammed, has told the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasiru El-rufai, that for Education to be accessible by all children of learned age in the state, Inclusiveness is the Way out for Children living with Disabilities.
This way, according to her, would help complement the good policies and ambitions of the El-rufai led government on education for all children of learned age in the state.
She asserted this during an Advocacy visit and Sensitization paid by the group to Hayin Tarotaro in Rigasa community of Igabi local Govt Area of Kaduna State, on issues of Children with Disabilities around govt Programmes and Policies especially on Education, Health and Social protection with Support from Sight Saver.
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The group, which also carried out research to look at the impact of govt programmes on Children and Parents of Children with disabilities, was part of the activities to commemorate the International Day of Persons Living with Disabilities (IDPD) marked every year on the 3rd December.
The day is about promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society and development and raising awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of political, Social, Economic, and Cultural life.
According to her, children with disabilities have lots of challenges that affect them, pulling them out of school because of who they are.
She said, even though the Kaduna government led by Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai is ambitious in its policies to see that every child of learned age in the state is educated, areas of accessibility, among other challenges faced by Children with Disabilities, should be addressed.
She stressed that until Children with disabilities in schools are taken care of, their challenges are reduced, the Opportunities are high.
“The Sensitization is aimed at creating awareness on the right of Children with Disabilities, Right to Education, Right to Health, Right to participation, and right to Association and also other aspects, looking at parental protection for children with a disability because we are looking at violence against women and girls, which some Parents of Children with Disabilities are less knowledgable about and how to protect their child
“Let the People living with disabilities lead issues affecting them. This will also increase enrolment, retention and completion of education by Students living with Disabilities. How can we get that until Children with disabilities in Schools are taken care of? Until the challenges are reduced, the opportunities are high.
There is a difference between going to the School of an Abled Child and a child with a disability. A Child with a disability have lots of challenges that affect them, capable of discouraging them from going to school because of their disability, especially a girl child, which is one of the main goals of sight saver to remove all obstacles that can stop a child from learned age from attaining education.
“We are also calling on govt to support Parents od Child living with disability, even if it is going to be a loan scheme to support their plight in supporting their children, although the education may be there, there are other needs of the Children, the Medical needs of the Children, from what we have been hearing from the parents and children with Disabilities, govt needs to rise a bit”.
Speaking with some of the parents, it was almost the same challenges faced by them having to cater for their children living disabilities
Fatima Sa’id, a mother of a 13-year old physical challenged child, said her daughter is facing lots of challenges attaining education.
She said her daughter, ambitious to be educated, has eventually dropped out of school because of the distance of the school.
“Due to the distance, before she gets to school, they would have finished the first study in class for the day, but if the school is close, it will be easy for me even as her mother to carry her to school, but the distance is causing a lot of challenges for her.
Now she has even stopped schooling because no assistance from anyone for her to go to school. She was in primary three before she left school. The reason was, the parents of those children that assisted in carrying her to school then stopped them because she is they are going to school late. I am appealing to govt and well-meaning Nigerians to help us provide a school that is close to her, and among other things”.
Also, Saadatu, a mother of 3year old deaf expressed that her daughter is attending a school that does not suit her disability because it is the most available school in her community.
“She is only following other children to school because that is even not the school she is supposed to attend as a deaf, she is attending Lokoja LEA in Rigasa, and you see that this school is for those hearing and seeing. We want the govt to help us with funding her school because she likes going to school”.
20 years old Aliyah Abdullahi, a physical Challenged, like every other Abled adult, attends school but faces challenges due to her disability and the status of her parent.
“Am facing challenges of transporting myself to school every day. At times I will wake to see that no money to transport myself to school.
Also, I want to further my education, but due to the hardship in the country, it is not easy for my parents. I am seeking assistance from govt or any association that will help me with a Scholarship, and I want to be a Cardiologist”.
For Fatima Bello, a 13 years physical challenged has stopped school due to the distance of the school at her disposal and lack of Morbidity aids.
“I am going to school, but now have stopped because I don’t have who will assist me and also I don’t have Morbidity aid, my school is far to my house. I want them to buy books, pay my school fees, among other things”.
The theme for this year commemoration is: Leadership and Participation of persons with disabilities towards an Inclusive, accessible and Sustainable post-COVID-19 world.
