A professor of speech languages, Julius Ademokoya, has called on the stakeholders in education in Nigeria to promote and develop deaf education by training professional teachers.
Ademokoya, who is also the Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, also emphasized the need for an increase in the budgeting allocation to the education sector, saying the step would further boost its development and positively impact the country.
The don stated this at an international conference organised by Wesley University, Ondo on Monday, themed ‘Empowering Deaf learner in Inclusive Education.”
He said, “The development of deaf education would not only advance effective learning but enable inclusive education plans for deaf learners and boost the development of education in Nigeria.”
Describing the deaf and the People With Disabilities as very vital in society, the professor commended the leadership of the National Assembly for introducing sign language interpreters in the two chambers but stressed the need for all tiers of government to give maximum attention to the advancement of deaf education and ensure equitable inclusive education plans for deaf learners.
Speaking on the theme of the conference, Ademokoya decried what he called stigmatisation and neglect of the deaf and members of the PWDs.
He equally suggested the need for the government at all levels to include deaf students in mainstream educational institutions of learning.
The Vice-Chancellor of Wesley University Ondo, Professor Sunday Obeka, stated that the University aims to strengthen the teaching and inclusion of Deaf programmes across other regions in Africa.
“Government should make out plans for training more interpreters and re-training of the trained ones from time to time to improve their skills. It was put forward that the government should be decisive about inclusive education by making sure that public schools are well equipped with gadgets, teaching aids, deaf space and so on, instead of building separate schools or classrooms for the deaf, to make it easier for such students to flow into mainstream society when they graduate. After all, there is one society of people with mixed abilities.
“Government can also enact policies that would create a more inclusive society for the deaf. One of such could be making sign language a compulsory course in our institutions of learning. All teachers should be trained in knowledge of, and use of sign language. When this is accomplished, the deaf will not need interpreters to move from one class to another.”
The organisers commended the Federal Government for signing into law the disability initiative.
In February, the Federal Government flagged off the maiden edition of the governors’ connect programme on disability inclusion, in Lagos.
The initiative championed by Abba Isa, senior special assistant to President Bola Tinubu on special needs and equal opportunities, aimed at partnering with all the state governors to fashion a national consensus on disability-friendly policies.
