Encouraging schools to look beyond financial rewards and adopt inclusion

The child comes first, always.

The way to address an issue is to first talk about the issue. In talking about it, we want to understand why the issue exists. Beyond this, however, we also want to know how we can solve the problem. The issue of schools not being disabilities inclusive in Nigeria is a big one. Let’s face it, there are other socioeconomic complexities in the way of inclusion which can make its adoption quite challenging. The one I find most intriguing though is the associated financial reward for the school. In my inclusion advocacy journey, I have found a lot of private schools asking the question, “What does it cost and who will bear the cost?”

Quite frankly, I can’t blame them. They have invested money in the school and just like any other business venture, it must be profitable. So the bottom line is if it doesn’t make money it doesn’t make sense.

On the other hand, we have the parents of the child with special needs who have to carry the additional burden of healthcare cost and on many occasions have to sacrifice their career to fulfill their role as the primary caregivers. With reduced income and an additional burden from schools, how will these parents cope?

Ultimately who suffers? The child! The affected child gets left behind!

In places like the UK, there is a huge budget for Special Educational Needs Provisions (even though many still complain that the funding is inadequate). This is because when the government says no child should be left behind, they understand that the statement needs to be backed up by a series of actions which include legislating, funding and progress monitoring.

So I am using this post to open up the conversation. Policy makers, school owners, philanthropists, donor organisations, parents, caregivers, and good-hearted individuals. How do we move forward from here? From your perspective how can this problem be solved? How can we address the needs of the children, the parents, and the schools all at once?

It truly matters that we ensure no child gets left behind. Every single child counts.