2025 Disability Day: Kaduna OPDs, Call for Stronger Inclusive Education
By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna
The Organization of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in Kaduna State has called for stronger action to ensure children with disabilities are fully included in public schools.
The call was made on Monday at a Press Conference to commemorate the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), supported by Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) through the Beta Nigeria Campaign.
The Chairman of the OPDs, Rilwani Mohammed, said this year’s theme, “Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress,” shows the need for Kaduna State to build a society where everyone has equal rights and opportunities.
Mohammed said inclusive education is essential for children with disabilities and stressed that enrolling them in public schools is not charity but a legal and moral responsibility.
He added that learning together helps break discrimination and improves understanding among children.
The OPDs also appreciated development partners working on disability inclusion in Kaduna.
PLANE was specially recognized for supporting the enrolment of more than 3,000 children with disabilities in six LGAs, piloting early identification tools, training Inclusive Education Desk Officers across 19 LGAs, and strengthening safeguarding, data systems, and learning assessments in schools.
The group also thanked other development partners, civil society organisations, parents’ groups, and the media for raising awareness and supporting inclusion efforts.
Mohammed acknowledged the Kaduna State Government for improving policies that support disability inclusion, such as teacher training, accessible learning environments, and assistive technology.
However, he urged the government to speed up the implementation of these policies across all public schools.
He added that disability inclusion should also extend to other areas like infrastructure, employment, political participation, and climate-related programmes.
He said Nigeria cannot achieve key development goals without proper investment in disability-inclusive systems and disability-disaggregated data.
“As we celebrate IDPD 2025, we urge everyone, families, schools, communities, and government to work together to remove barriers and end discrimination,” Mohammed said.
The OPDs said they remain committed to ensuring that every child with a disability in Kaduna State has access to a supportive and inclusive learning environment.
