HDI urges increased UBEC funding to cover special needs children

A non-governmental organization Human Development Initiatives (HDI) has called for the funding for  Universal Basic Education to be increased from 2% to 4% of budget to enable the commission reach children with special needs. HDI acting executive director Olufunso Owasanoye says the increase will help address the high number deficit infrastructure and learning resources. In […]

A non-governmental organization Human Development Initiatives (HDI) has called for the funding for  Universal Basic Education to be increased from 2% to 4% of budget to enable the commission reach children with special needs.

HDI acting executive director Olufunso Owasanoye says the increase will help address the high number deficit infrastructure and learning resources.

In talks during an advocacy visit to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Abuja, Owasanoye said, “It is very critical that children with special needs must be involved in the work plan of Universal Basic Education because the foundation of a child goes a long way in defining the child’s future.

“They should not be ostracized or marginalized since they are part of the society and needs good basic education like any other child.”

She said disadvantaged children suffer stigmatization and are most often never carried along in the work plan for basic education as these add to the trauma they go through.

She urged UBEC to ensure the inclusion of basic education for children with disability by rehabilitating and providing existing schools with good educational facilities.

UBEC executive secretary Hamid Bobboyi said the commission is willing to ensure Nigeria children all get good basic education even at the grassroot.

But he called for in-depth monitoring and evaluation of released funds especially by people at the grassroots level to help in the area of monitoring and tracking of funds utilization for all round development.

 

He said ‘complicated demands’ from states and how the 2% fund for children with special needs is executed shows that there is something fundamentally wrong with special education as these disadvantaged children end up in a very dilapidated learning environment.