By Charly Agwam
The role of planning in education as in every other endeavor of life can not be over emphasized. It is significant as it directs where to go and decreases the danger of guess work. In like manner, Gender Responsive Education Sector Planning (GRESP) is crucial for promoting gender equality and equity in education.
Although evidence shows that Bauchi has a State Education Operational Plan (2022 - 2024) that states 'inclusive education for children with special needs' as one of its components, it is however, not gender responsive as it does not categorize the 13,500 children with disability into the various genders for for meaningful assessment.
Consequently, without a gender-responsive State Education Sector Plan (SESP), girls with disabilities would face endless daunting challenges such as inaccessible schools and classrooms, limited adaptive learning materials, untrained teachers, social stigma and discrimination, and financial constraints.
According to the United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI), a State Education Sector Plan (SESP) or Education Sector Plan(ESP) is a comprehensive strategic document that offers a vision for the schooling system and identifies the ways to achieve it, and gender-responsive education sector planning (GRESP) is the vehicle for achieving this as it identifies gender barriers within education systems and ensures that strategies and policies are in place to address them through the Education Sector Plan.
In a survey carried out by Development Research and Project Centre (DRPC) which reviewed the State Education Sector Plan (SESP) of six states, it was found out that in Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfafa States where GRESP was adopted and implemented (2015-2020), enrollment of girls increased by 5.5 percent. Furthermore, it was noted that in the preceding years (2005-2009) without the GRESP, enrollment for girls in secondary schools reduced by 4.3 percent.
Bauchi State can borrow a leaf from its neighbours to increase access to education for girls living with disability.
By adopting GRESP principles, the State can implement a gender-responsive Education Sector Plan that can address the unique challenges faced by physically challenged girls, including: accessibility, protection of girls with disability against stigma and stereotypes and empower girls with disability to develop leadership and decision-making skills.
The adoption of GRESP also helps to improve inclusive learning through providing adaptive learning materials and assistive technologies for girls, training teachers on inclusive education practices and disability-sensitive policies, and ensuring safe and accessible learning environment.
This would reduce gender disparities in education, improved educational quality and relevance, increase female participation in STEM fields, enhance leadership and decision-making skills and improve better health and well-being outcomes.
Aisha Danlami, a seventeen year old girl and student of Gwallameji Secondary School Bauchi with a challenge on one of her legs spoke of how she manages to fend for herself and attend classes despite being a child with special needs.
"Honestly, I wish it could be better. Life as a person living with disability in this part of the world is very different and difficult. You are expected to perform like the rest of your mates," she said. "Because I have been responsible for myself, I have to work (beg for alms) in the morning and be in class in the afternoon.
"Although my teachers and classmates are nice people, I find it difficult to catch up with the rest because of transportation issues. Sometimes, it takes me hours to find someone who would agree to take me to school because of my condition.
"If our government could do something about transportation, it will help us a lot. Imagine that there are days when I have no choice but to walk several miles to school. By the time I get to school, they would have finished 2 classes, and so I will have to work twice as hard to catch up with the rest of my classmates, which is mostly not the case because with my condition, that is almost impossible."
Obstacles like the ones faced by Aisha, lead to alarming dropout rates, poor academic performance, and restricted opportunities. This underscores why ImpactHouse Centre for Development Communication, and System Strategy and Policy Lab supported this advocacy for the adoption of GRESP principles by the Bauchi State government to build an education system that provides access for girls living with disability.
While the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board touts inclusive education that caters for people living with disability, much is left to be desired as so many girls with disability are unable to access education because of lack of formulation and implementation of a gender-responsive Education Sector Plan in Bauchi.
Speaking with the Director School Services, Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr. Zahairu Usman, he promised that in the new education sector plan which will purportedly take effect from 2025, policies that would enhance learning for girls with disability would be included.
"The Bauchi State government is doing everything to make sure that people with disability are well taken care of. If you go to the Special School, you will find out that everything, even the building was built with their interest in mind.
"In the next policy document, we will make sure that more attention is given to the needs of people living with disability, so that they can feel safe and comfortable like other kids. They are also our children so we will do everything to make sure that they are treated well," the School Chief noted.
Notably, I discovered on a visit to Bauchi Special School, that the school only caters for two categories of disabilities - blind and deaf. This leaves out girls with other forms of disability who sometimes never get the opportunity to attend school.
Organizations like the Women with Disability, Integrity and Development Initiative (WDIDI) are calling for more action from the Bauchi State government to increase access to education for girls with disability.
The Executive Director of WDIDI, Miss Asma'u Yahaya charged government to build physical structure that are accessible to people with disability and ensure access to schools, especially for girls living with disability in the State.
"It is true that we have a Special School but it only caters for the blind and deaf. Children with other kinds of disability are left to survive on their own. Even in the school, you will find that they don't have some special materials for teaching.
"However, it is noteworthy that the government is building WASH facilities in schools and markets with people living with disability in mind. They build it in a way that people with disability can access them and that is commendable," she said.
Bauchi State has already shown commitment to promoting gender equality and addressing violence against women and girls, as seen in their domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act, the formulation and implementation of a new gender-responsive Education Sector Plan (ESP) for the state would unlock the potentials of girls with disability and further demonstrate its dedication to creating a more inclusive and equitable society.
0 Comments