INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION Vol 23 No 3 2008
13
additional residential primary schools for children with disabilities in most states of the federation, the
increased attendance of students with disabilities in secondary and higher institutions, and the
preparation of special education teachers in select tertiary institutions in the country. There has also
been a rise in the number of advocacy organizations of and for people with disabilities. These
initiatives have however been met with mixed outcomes, with dually-trained special educators (i.e.
those holding certification in an area of special education and a subject-matter discipline) not properly
deployed to work with students with disabilities. Other persistent problems over the years include: lack
of up-to-date teaching devices, and organizational and leadership crises that have militated against
reform of the special education sector.
Interestingly enough, Section 7 of the revised National Policy on Education (2008) explicitly
recognizes that children and youth with special needs shall be provided with inclusive education
services. The commitment is made to equalize educational opportunities for all children, irrespective of
their physical, sensory, mental, psychological or emotional disabilities. Undoubtedly, these are lofty
goals intended to improve the quality of special education services, but much more is needed to
translate the goals into concrete action.
Universal Basic Education Scheme
In response to the needed reform in the education sector, Nigeria launched the Universal Basic
Education (UBE) scheme in 1999. In 2004, the Federal Government enacted the Universal Basic
Education Law in which it makes a provision of 2% of its Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) to
finance the UBE program. Thus, the compulsory free Universal Basic Education Act, 2004, provides a
legal framework within which the Federal Government supports states towards achieving uninterrupted
nine-year compulsory Universal Basic Education for all children in primary and junior secondary
school levels throughout the country (http://www.fme.gov.ng/pages/cati.asp).
Some observers see the UBE scheme as a mechanism to revitalize the failed Universal Primary
Education project of 1976, and to bring Nigeria into conformity with a number of international
protocols that seek to enhance quality educational and social services for its citizens. In the views of
Adepoju and Fabiyi (2007), there have been many attempts to revamp the education sector in the past
four decades with no appreciable results.
(http://uaps2007.princeton.edu/download.aspx?submissionId=70830).
Adepoju and Fabiyi alluded to the goals of the UBE program as specified in the implementation
guideline by government in 1999 thus:
-Developing in the entire citizenry, a strong conscientiousness for education and a strong
commitment to its vigorous promotion
-Provision of free Universal Basic Education for every Nigerian child of school-going age
-Reducing drastically the incidence of dropout from the formal school system
-Catering for young persons, their schooling as well as other out-of-school children or
adolescents through appropriate form of complementary approaches to the provision of UBE
-Ensuring the acquisition of appropriate levels of literacy, numeracy, manipulative,
communicative and life skills as well as the ethical, moral and civic values needed for laying a
solid foundation for lifelong living
(http://uaps2007.princeton.edu/download.aspx?submissionId=70830).
The goals just outlined indicate that children and youth in general have every right to an education that
will inculcate in them the requisite knowledge and survival skills in society. Some will argue that
although the UBE scheme does not specifically reference children and youth with disabilities, such
youngsters are invariably subsumed under the law, since they constitute part and parcel of society and
have every right to basic education and other essentials of life. If we accept this premise, then, the
various stakeholders must begin to provide adequate financial and human resources to actualize what it
truly means to bring children and youth with special needs within the education fold. As a starting
point, teacher and administrator understanding and commitment must be fostered, followed by parent
and community involvement and support. More fundamentally, it must be recognized that the task of
including the needs of students with disabilities, and those of their families, in any national policy on
education is important and carries life-long implications.
However, we might want to pause for a moment to consider a basic question, i.e. What direction should
a low-income country like Nigeria follow in its quest to provide quality inclusive education for special
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION Vol 23 No 3 2008
14
needs learners? This is no doubt a complex question to answer, given past initiatives that have been
plagued with multiple problems including, but not limited to: extreme politicization of education,
disagreement over the role of religion in public education, inadequate funding, low and irregular
teacher salaries, and limited involvement of the private sector and philanthropic citizens. It is crucial
that all stakeholders understand that education is a social process that is concerned with more than the
traditional academic domains, and everyone should recognize that education deals with developing in
children an increasing sense of independence, personal responsibility and belonging to their diverse
community.
Recommendations for future action and research
With the current focus to include children and youth with special needs in ordinary schools in Nigeria,
there are key lessons to be learned from the experiences of industrialized countries, and from the
administrative and programmatic pitfalls that have worked against the successful implementation of
past educational policies.
1. Develop positive attitudes toward disability: As a first important step, there is need to change
the attitudes that prevent any sort of interaction with children, youth and adults who have
disabilities (Ajuwon & Sykes, 1988). Public enlightenment work in schools must begin the
process of educating the school and the general community in order to eradicate superstitions
about causation of disabilities, and to modify the fears and myths about children with
disabilities that create misunderstanding and inhibit normal interaction. In the process of
changing attitudes, it is recommended that successful and well-placed persons with disabilities
in the society be used as agents of attitudinal change.
2. Identify the scope of children and youth with challenges: Before inclusion is adopted as a
blanket policy, there is need to document the number, characteristics and specific geographic
location of students required to be in inclusive programs, the number of specialists who will
support their instruction, the necessary amount of in-class and out-of-class collaboration
between special and general education teachers, and the optimal type and extent of support
from ancillary staff.
3. Conduct comprehensive, methodologically-sound research into effects of inclusion:
Researchers must determine empirically the educational and social-emotional impacts of
inclusion on students with differing characteristics. The Special Needs Section of the National
Policy on Education identifies students with all types of disabilities, and the degree of their
disabilities ranges from mild through profound. The exceptional population also includes
students in nomadic and other special programs, as well as students identified as gifted. We
need to carry out quantitative and qualitative studies on the specific needs and interests of each
group.
4. Determine the efficacy of inclusion on general education students and their teachers: There is
need to undertake rigorous research into the needs of the large number of general education
students, and to assess how inclusionary practices will impact the general classroom
atmosphere. Such studies must also investigate the attitudes, knowledge and skills of preservice
and in-service teachers, and the required knowledge and skills to make inclusion
meaningful.
5. Apply the principle of universal design to school building, curriculum and pedagogy: As new
buildings are constructed under the UBE scheme throughout the 774 local government areas,
designers should anticipate needs so that changes after construction are unnecessary, thereby
creating maximum accessibility for all students, not only those with special needs. It is costeffective
when at the initial stage planners are guided by the seven principles that make
designs universally usable – equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use,
perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, and size and space for
approach and use (Center for Universal Design, 1997).
6. Creating a culturally-responsive school environment: As more and more students with
differences enroll in ordinary classrooms, the need for pedagogical approaches that are
culturally responsive cannot be overemphasized. Teachers must create a classroom culture
where all students regardless of their cultural or linguistic background or ability are welcomed
and supported, and provided with optimum opportunity to learn.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION Vol 23 No 3 2008
15
7. Respect dissenting views: In a pluralistic and democratic society, the views of those
individuals who have reservations about inclusive education practices should not be ignored.
Even in the United States and other advanced economies, some parents fear that their children
will be teased or that they will learn inappropriate behaviors in general education settings.
They express the concern that the needs of their children with disabilities cannot be met
adequately in a general education classroom. Further, some professionals