The Federal Ministry of Education has commenced the construction of the National Education Diagnostic and Assessment Centre in Abuja for early identification, referral and placement options for all categories of children with special needs.
The Director of the Basic and Secondary Education Department in the Ministry, Chike Uwaezuoke disclosed this in his address to mark the 2013 Autism Awareness Creation and International Day Celebration held on the 10th of December, 2013 at the School for the Blind, Jabi, Abuja for persons with special needs in schools and centres.
Chike Uwaezuoke represented by the Director of Special Education, E. B Omotowa indicated that the project will come on stream by January 2014; adding that the establishment of the Centre is part of the Ministry’s effort to mitigate the degree of challenges caused by autism and other disabilities to pave the way for their education.
He pointed out that to mark the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, the Federal Ministry of Education has chosen to narrow it down to children with disabilities who are in schools and centres for the physically challenged. He also identified the objectives as sensitization of the members of the society on the need to create awareness and access to education and job placement for persons with disabilities; create more awareness on autism and address the coping skills for parents, teachers and siblings of children with autism, among others.
In a goodwill message, Omotunde E. Thompson of the Centre for Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, who is herself a physically challenged mentioned that over 40% of the country’s population is made up of persons with disabilities. She added that a large chunk of this population lack education and appealed to individuals and organisations to support the Government at all levels to bridge the education gap for persons with disabilities.
She further stressed that the United Nations General Assembly in its Resolution 47/3 of October, 1992 declared that the 3rd of December in every year should be observed as the International Day for persons with Disabilities.
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