By Oye Chijioke.
The Delta state government have abandon the school for persons with disabilities in Asaba, capital city of Delta state, the school was built by the Gov Emmanuel Uduaghan administration with a skill acquisition centre meant for training the physically challenged persons in the state, unfortunately these group of people are mainly minors who ought to be in the school and less privileged adults who cannot depend on their family members to cater for them, the education centres undertakes cognitive training and skill training to equip these individuals to be able to fend for themselves because there is “ability in every disabil
ity”.
The government have solely neglected the rehabilitation centre under the portfolio of Ministry of Women Affairs, along Nnebisi road off Ibusa junction Asaba, the school compound is a paradise for reptiles, hoodlums, the entrance of the school is a dumping ground for refuses from residents and street traders, the environment of the school is littered in such a way that the health of pupils are threatened on daily bases, the school fence have fallen, there is no sign post to show that a school of such exists.
In a sane society, these group of people are given preferential treatment due to their abnormalities which ranges from blindness, deaf, dumb, cripples.
The policy of the government that such persons should not be discriminated or labeled with their inabilities, thereby provisions are made to cater for such people which is not so in with the situation in the school, despite the agitations and confrontations these group have made, yet nothing have been done.
The head teacher of the school and the publicity secretary of the Nigerian Union of Teachers Oshimili south chapter Comrade Omeleze Ngozi Nkechi told our reporter, that since her inception of office she has been crying passionately to the executive arm of government, that the school needs integration, in the sense that the large number of abandon buildings can occupy two or three schools to keep this special children company during break time so to enhance their ability to socialize with normal children. she complained that the compound are no longer safe for disable children, and they lack teachers that are trained to handle these kind of children, only Mr.John Akinola volunteered himself to teach these children especially the dumbs with sign language, this he has done for one year now, adding that the school have immediate need for a school bus because the children come from far and near and if left alone on the road could be exposed to dangers.
According to them, MTN company supplied the school few wheel chairs, toys, no instructional material, no TV set to help teach audio and visual lessons, the few braille used by the blind have no teacher to handle it.
She emphasized that the government of Okowa should provide medical dispensary with personnel’s who can diagnose these children and see how to help correct some minor defects because many of these children are desolate, poverty have taken the larger part of the society, adding that the most challenge is to sensitize the people on the need to bring their special children to school.
She advised parents to cooperate with the school, for the burden of these special children should not be carried by one person but by all Deltans and to private individual not to throw away their faces from such children
