Enroll children with special needs in normal schools, expert advises parents

Dr Sunday Isiyaku,  the Country Director of Sightsavers, an international NGO, has advised  parents and guardians to enroll their wards with disabilities in normal, and not special, schools.

Isiyaku gave the advice at a training organised by his organisation for media practitioners on Thursday in Keffi, Nasarawa State.

According to him, such move will enable children with special needs to attain their full potentials in life.

He, however, noted that it is not bad to enroll children with disabilities in special schools, but opined that meanstreaming would support children with special needs meet their desired goals in life.

”Sightsavers has always advocated that children with disabilities should be allowed to attend normal, and not special, schools.

”If you put a child with disability in a special school,  his teachers, desk, bed, writing materials and everything will be special.

”By the time such a child is done with school, he will come out worse because he or she enters a society that is not special.

”We are not saying it is bad to enroll children with disabilities in special schools, but we don’t advocate for it because we promote inclusive education for all,” he said.

On the two-day training, the country director said that the event aimed at acquainting reporters with its ongoing programmes and activities

He explained that sightsavers had developed five thematic areas which include social inclusion, eye health, inclusive education, neglected tropical diseases and refractive errors.