The event, themed “towards
an inclusive education in Lagos State” and held in Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, had
eight primary schools participating at the preliminary stage but only four of
the schools made it to the final stage of the keenly contested competition.
Pacelli School for the
Blind, Surulere has emerged winner in the maiden edition of a two-day quiz
competition organized by Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA)
between pupils of regular and special schools in Lagos State.
Speaking at the event,
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Mr. Hakeem
Muri-Okunola said the gesture was in line with Lagos State Government’s promise
to re-position the socio –political and economic fortunes of people living with
disabilities in the State.
The programme, he added,
was also “designed to create windows of opportunities to exhibit their inherent
qualities and contribute to the economic growth of Lagos State”.
According to Mr. Muri
–Okunola, “Lagos State government is of the view that by making education more
accessible and inclusive, the number of literate people with disability would
increase, thereby enhancing their social- potentials and relevance in the
society.”
General Secretary of the
association of teachers in disability schools in Lagos State, Azeez Alihu
commended Lagos State Government for identifying with people living with
disabilities by enacting relevant laws that protect their interests but
lamented that different groups of disabled people also face other various
challenges in their academic pursuits and the larger society.
He therefore pleaded with
the State Government to assist disabled people by providing tools and equipment
that will enhance their learning skills, particularly the ‘Braille embosser’
used by the blind.
The winners were presented
awards and cash prizes after the event as follows: Pacelli School for the Blind
– N100,000 for first prize; Estate Primary School, Ogba – N80,000 for second
prize and Maryland Primary School – N50,000 for third prize.
The pupils were tested in
Mathematics, English-language and Social Studies.
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