By Balarabe Abdullahi Kiru
Kano State Government has reaffirmed it’s commitment to provide access to conducive learning environment for Children living with disabilities across the state.
The State Commissioner of Education Alhaji Umar Haruna Doguwa gave the assurance today, Wednesday while receiving members of ‘Hope For Village Child Foundation’ who paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
Umar Doguwa explained that since the inception of the present administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, a lot had been done to improve the learning and teaching conditions of pupils/students with disabilities to make them feel more comfortable in school.
According to Doguwa, extra measures had been taken by the government to ensure that all children with disabilities in the state have access to safe and quality education without discrimination or exclusion.
” You see, when you are talking about improving schools environment especially that of pupils/students living with disability, is something that every rightful human being would love to participate and give his own contributions.
” The effort we made when we came in to power in terms of the distribution of teaching aids to the schools of Pupils with disability was never done before in Kano State ” said Doguwa.
He added that the administration had performed wonderfully on the issue of inclusion whereby modern Architectural designs were made at some schools of Children living with disabilities.
Doguwa cited that such architectural projects had already began at ‘yargaya and other places within the state which aimed at improving the learning environment of the disabled students.
While commenting on the government’s effort to enhance teaching professiion, Commissioner Doguwa said the administration in collaboration with National Project Coordinating Unit of the IDEAS Project had recently sponsored 105 Technical Teachers for a 3-week training workshop at Kaduna.
” Just recently, another two day Train the Trainer Programme was conducted which focused at re-branding the Leadership and Management of the state education sector whereby the participants were drawn from all the agencies under this Ministry ” he disclosed.
Umar further assured of the government continued commitment to engage all the relevant Development Partners in promoting the state education sector.
Earlier, the programme manager ‘Hope For Village Child Foundation’ Ola Seyi Ayodele said they were at the Commissioner’s office to express their appreciation over the outstanding performance of the present administration in revamping the education sector.
” We hereby commence this brief by appreciating the resilience and tenacity this government has demonstrated upon resumption to remain focused and result oriented despite all challenges surrounding the education sector ” he stated.
Ola Seyi however presented the Foundation requests on behalf of the entire children with disabilities which include the need for government to enhance and implement the disability Act of 2018 to ensure access to safe and quality education of all children without discrimination or exclusion.
He also requested for government to make basic modification and reasonable adjustments of schools in the state to identify and support children with disabilities especially slow learners.
” Finally, we also want government to adopt and adapt inclusive education as the modus operandi-working method of Kano State education system ” he appealed.
