PWD: Education Stakeholders Release N24m For Purchase Of Wheelchairs, Talking Dictionary

As parts of efforts to mitigate challenges faced by People With Disability (PWD), the Universal Basic Education Commission( UBEC), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) have doled out the sum of N24 million for the purchase of wheelchairs and Talking Dictionaries.

This is contained in the Board’s Weekly Bulletin published on October 16, 2023.

According to the Bulletin, out of the amount, N12 million would be used to procure 120 wheelchairs to be distributed to only registered students with each geopolitical zone getting 20 wheelchairs, while the other N12 million would be used for the acquisition of Talking Dictionaries.

It explained that a Talking Dictionary is a speech- enabled encyclopedic dictionary that can be used with or without a reader, which is perfectly suited for the needs of the visually impaired computer users.

The release of the fund was made after JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, called the attention of the stakeholders for the need to assist the PWD especially those seeking admission or who have already gotten admission in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

While lending his voice to the initiative, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono promised that the Fund will do all within its purview to enhance the delivery of quality education to PWD.

He condemned all forms of discrimination of PWD attributing it to ignorance, orientation and upbringing.

“Sometimes, many of us do it out of purpose, ignorance or due to inadequate upbringing but the issue of equity , fairness and inclusiveness in education has gained global attention and no economy can grow and no society can be stable or egalitarian if all actors that steer that economy are not fully mobilized or equipped and encouraged to contribute their quota to the collective good and ensuring shared posterity for all,” he said.

He commended Oloyede and his management team for the initiative of creating a platform to understand the need for equity which is aimed at making life easier for the PWD.

Meanwhile, JAMB has constituted a committee for the effective distribution of the 120 wheelchair to the six geopolitical zones.

The committee which is chaired by the leader of the JAMB-Equal Opportunity Group(JEOG) and coordinated by Prof. Adenike Oladiji, the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) is to map out modalities for the distribution of the wheel chairs to the zones.