By Lawrence Nwimo
The Anambra State Chapter of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on governments and other funding agencies to consider giving attention and support to God’s Care School for Special Needs in Anambra State, Orient Daily reports.
Speaking during the commission’s visit to the God’s Care Group of Schools in Awka on Tuesday, the NHRC State Coordinator, Mrs. Nkechi Ugwuanyi said the school catering for children with special needs should be supported to cope with the enormous tasks of providing academic and social needs of the pupils in the school.
The commission’s visit to the special school was part of
16 days activism, themed: “Orange The World; End Violence Against Women Now,” and in commemoration of the International Human Rights Day which comes up December 10, 2021.
According to the coordinator, the commission’s decision to visit the children with special needs was to ensure that human rights are availed to every child. She stated that equal rights and privileges must be given to the pupils in commensurate to their counterparts in other schools.
“The decision to visit the special school was borne out of the passion to ensure that human right is availed to every child in the state. It is a recognition that every child has equal right.
“The children here, most of them are very intelligent but with the facilities they have here, the right education is not fully accessed here.”
While Mrs Ugwuanyi commended the proprietor and her team for apt care and response for the special pupils, she encourage the management to continue with their strive to help humanity and also not to relent in their good work for the society.
She called on organizations, funding agencies and government to consider partnering the school towards giving training, skill and hope to the disability students in the state.
Meanwhile, the school proprietor, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Justina Ndife, who expressed joy at the visit, identified poor funding and support as major challenges of the school.
She decried that some government officials had frustrated efforts of the government to render support to her school, citing instances where such officials failed to carry out the instructions of the government to give some financial support to the school.
Ndife who stated that her decision to train children with special needs was borne out of passion also appealed to government, other good spirited individuals and institutions to support the school management in training the pupils to be useful to the society.
Orient Daily reports that Dr. Nnenna Chiloli, at the event, sensitized the pupils on their rights to welfare, sexual reproduction, and privacy, while Mr. Joel Ishaya, a senior investigative officer at NHRC encouraged them to leverage on the opportunities of education to fend off intimidation prevalent in the society.
Also, State media director, police campaign against Drug Abuse And Other Vices, Mazi Chidi Orjika sensitized the pupils on the dangers of drug abuse and charged them to dissociate themselves from the dangerous practice ravaging youths in the society.