President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday inaugurated the
Comprehensive Special School, Lafia established by the Nasarawa State
Government to cater for the
educational needs of physically challenged
children.
Buhari, while inaugurating the project, said that the
institution was a demonstration of the collective ambition to uplift the
standard of living of all Nigerians through social investment policies.
“The school will cater for the blind, deaf and people living
with other forms of physical challenges; it represents a clear example of our
inclusive policy where no child will be left behind.
“The institution is a well thought out initiative to give
hope to a key segment of the society that has been ignored and neglected by
previous governments.
“We all owe it a duty to help the physically challenged by
contributing to their development and self reliance,” the President added.
He stressed that the change philosophy of the present
administration would continue to idealise and identify issues critical to the
country’s socio-economic development with the view to preferring lasting
solutions to them.
The president assured Nigerians that government would
intensify commitment towards realizing its cardinal objectives anchored on
security, fighting corruption and enhancing economic growth through
diversification.
Earlier, Governor Umaru Al-Makura had said that the school
was targeted at ensuring inclusiveness in governance by giving opportunities to
the vulnerable members of the society.
He said that the school would concentrate on providing
individual care to children with learning difficulties and those that are deaf,
visually impaired and crippled.
“To ensure maximum benefit and inclusiveness, we have made
their education free from primary to tertiary level so as to remove the burden
of educational expenses on parents.
“We particularly want to ensure that children with disability
are given equal opportunities and empowered to broaden their vision, develop
their talents and creativity, and compete favourably with others in all spheres
of human endeavours,” he said.
He explained that the school would be affiliated with other
centres of excellence for people living with disabilities like Gallaudet
University and Perkins University both in the U.S.
Almakura said that the state government had also developed a
comprehensive curriculum and modules for the education of children with special
needs, noting that such feat was the first of its kind in Nigeria.
“Nasarawa State Government will be glad to avail copies to
the Federal Ministry of Education for possible adoption and implementation
nationwide,” he said.
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