Fersons living with disabilities ( PWDs ) has appealed to the federal and state governments to include them in designing of the curriculum of various higher institutions in the country.
PWDs have equally appealed to the Universities to always allocate admission quarter and urged government to grant them as well as their children special scholarships to Universities or any other institution of higher learning.
The chairman of the PWDs in Borno State, Malam Muhammadu Umar, made the appeal yesterday in Maiduguri at a town hall meeting on ” Strengthening Investigative Data Driven Journalism In the Fight against Corruption in Local Languages in Nigeria “, which was organised by Wadata Media and Advocacy Centre ( WAMAC ) with the support of MacArthur Foundation.
He also called on government to empower the PWDs so that they can sustain their livelihood and be able to send their children to school since majority of them are vulnerable persons in the society.
He regretted that most higher institutions of learning in the country do not have facilities for the education of the PWDs and called on the government to make the various institutions include them in their activities.
In her remarks, the principal of Borno Special School, Comrade Hauwa Kuji Hassan, commended the state governor, Babagana Umara Zulum for playing a great role in what the school has become.
She said Borno Special School is not just school for the blind , but a school that accommodates other forms of disability such as visually impaired and hearing impaired, adding that the administration of Governor Zulum has upgraded the school with incentives such as learning materials among others.
Speaking on the theme of the town hall meeting:” Inclusivity and Accountability in Borno State public Education Sector in the Post- conflict Recovery Effort”, the executive director WAMAC, Zubairu Abdurra’uf Idis, said the meeting was designed to interface between WAMAC and all stakeholders and communities, with the support from the MacArthur Foundation, fight against corruption and the promotion of good governance.
Also speaking, the public relations officer of the Nigeria Union of Teachers Borno State Chapter, Garba Adamu regretted that about 526 teachers lost their lives to the Boko Haram insurgency, recalling how the terrorists would enter schools then to shoot teachers.
He called for the provision of psychosocial support for teachers to make them know that they are in schools to teach, stressing that government should build the capacity of teachers and provide incentives like loans to teachers since their monthly salaries cannot cater for their numerous needs.
