The Kaduna State Government has distributed assistive devices to learners with disabilities under the Reaching Out-of-School Children (RoOSC) Project of the Kaduna State Ministry of Education.

The intervention is part of efforts to promote inclusive and equitable basic education and improve access to learning opportunities for children living with disabilities across the state.

Speaking at the event on Tuesday in Kaduna, RoOSC Project Coordinator, Ezra Angai, said the exercise would be implemented across the 23 local government areas of the state.

Mr Angai, who spoke at LGEA Sheikh Gumi Model Primary School, Tudun Wada, said the intervention targeted children with disabilities identified during the project’s enrolment and medical assessment exercise.

He said about 400 learners were expected to benefit from the programme.

According to him, items being distributed include bilateral back slabs, wheelchairs, ankle weights, standing boxes, protective spectacles, prescription distance glasses and cleaning cloths.

He said more than 30 children had already benefited from the provision of prescription eyeglasses based on recommendations arising from medical assessments.

He said the initiative followed comprehensive medical screening of out-of-school children, with recommendations by health professionals guiding the provision of assistive devices.

He stated, “The devices are provided based on the specific needs identified during the medical assessments to support the children’s participation in learning activities. ”

He said the project, implemented with support from Save the Children International, the Education Above All Foundation, the Islamic Development Bank, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and UNICEF, was designed to return 100,000 out-of-school children to classrooms.

He said the distribution would cover beneficiaries across the state’s three senatorial zones.

The coordinator urged communities to support the identification and enrolment of out-of-school children, adding that caseworkers had been deployed across communities for the exercise.

Also speaking, a representative of Save the Children International, Emmanuel Umbusa, said the initiative would not only return children to school but also provide targeted support for learners with disabilities.

Mr Umbusa said beneficiaries were selected after mapping and medical assessment exercises conducted in collaboration with partner hospitals and relevant agencies.

He added that the programme included catch-up learning interventions for learners at different levels.

According to him, the intervention is aimed at ensuring that children, particularly those living with disabilities, have access to quality education and the support required to succeed in school.

The State Chairperson of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Suleiman Abdullaziz, urged beneficiaries to make good use of the items.

Mr Abdullaziz said disability should not be seen as a limitation to education and success.

He cautioned against the sale of the items, stressing that they were provided strictly for personal use to improve learning and well-being.

Also speaking, the traditional leader of Sabon Gari Tudun Wada, Mohammed Usman, commended the initiative and urged parents and beneficiaries to ensure proper use of the devices.

Meanwhile, parents of beneficiaries expressed appreciation to the state government and development partners for the intervention.

One of the parents, Jonathan Embraham, said the support would improve the lives and learning abilities of the children.

He thanked the Kaduna State Government and its partners for providing support to children living with disabilities.

The RoOSC project is part of Kaduna State’s efforts to promote inclusion, improve access to education and reduce the number of out-of-school children in the state.

(NAN)