A Study of Blind Education in Three States of Nigeria

By David Oyebamiji Akanji

Despite policies to provide equal education opportunities for African children, the dreams of most disabled students are not realized, especially for blind children. Many blind students do not have an opportunity to continue their education. In this study, The Management of the Education of Blind and Visually Impaired Students in Nigerias State Capitals of Kwara, Lagos, and Plateau, author David Oyebamiji Akanji investigates the problems facing the education of the blind in Nigerian public schools.

Researched as part of a doctoral dissertation, this study assessed the: Quality and effectiveness of practices governing the management of blind education in self-contained schools Quality and effectiveness of policies and practices governing the inclusion of blind and visually impaired students in the regular classrooms of mainstream schools Unique nature of the problems hampering the academic performance of blind and visually impaired students in three most populous state capitals in Nigeria Obstacles associated with self-concept of blind and visually impaired students Oyebamiji Akanji shares his research strategy, results, and recommendations. He reveals that the management of blind education in Nigeria public schools requires adequate policies, proper education for teachers, availability of appropriate educational resources, and collaboration among general and special education teachers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Sep 28, 2009
• ISBN: 9781426985157

David Oyebamiji Akanji

David Oyebamiji Akanji, a Nigerian, became blind at a young age. He attended regular primary and post-primary schools with inadequate special education facilities and human resources. Determined to make education less strenuous for the physically challenged, he traveled to the United States where he earned a Ph.D. in special education administration. It is imperative at this juncture to give you a brief introduction of my self. As a matter of fact, I became blind when I was an infant. When I was about eleven years of age, I was taken to Ogbomoso Blind training center. It was there I learnt Braille, and craft for the first time in my life. I was there from 1961 to 1963. During that same year, I was taken to be with my parents at Bode Osi, a village in Iwo Osun state. That was done in order for me to start my primary school education. I was at Bode from 1963 to 1966. I did not stop there, after the completion of my primary school education, I was sent to Osodi vocational training center for the blind in 1967. It was there I learnt advance Braille, and telephone operation. I was at the vocational center for the blind from 1967 to 1968 after the successful completion of my training. In the year 1969, I attended Iwo Catholic secondary modern school where I was trained as a typist. I was there from 1969 to 1970. I did not stop there. In the year 1971, I started my secondary school education at Ibadan Christ Apostolic Grammar school Aperin Oniyere. It was there I successfully completed my school certificate papers in 1975. Realistically, the struggle did not stop there. In 1981, the then Oyo state government gave me scholarship to come to United Stated of America for further studies. I was given an admission by the then Arkansas enterprises for the blind. I was there for two semesters before I proceeded to Philander Smith College where started my first degree in special education which I successfully completed in three years instead of four. It means I was there from 1982 to 1985. I came out in first class. I did not stop there, in January 1986, I was admitted to Howard University through the help of the then academic dean of Philander Smith College who got me a scholarship to attend Howard for my masters program in education. I completed my masters program in three semesters instead of two years. I was at Howard from 1986 to 1987. I did not even stop there; in 1998 I started my doctoral program at Gallaudet University in special education administration. By the special grace of God, I have completed my PhD in special education administration. I graduated in May 16th 2008.

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© Copyright 2009 David Oyebamiji Akanji.

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Contents

Acknowledgments

Dedication

Abstract

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Reference List

Reference List

Appendices

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Appendix E

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Completion of this study would not have been possible without the incredible trust given to me by Dr. William Marshall. He chaired my book committee and mentored me through my years of education at Gallaudet. I thank him for providing me with many opportunities to work with him and for the countless hours he spent teaching and guiding me both academically and personally. Dr. Marshall devoted his time for providing constructive criticism and helpful suggestions during the development of this book. My education at Gallaudet and my book are richer in quality because of this gentle, wonderful, and distinguished professor.

I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Salvatore R. Paratore, a distinguished professor emeritus at the George Washington University, who graciously joined my book committee and provided me with his insightful suggestions in designing the research methodology and statistical analyses for my study.

I am grateful to Dr. Francis Duffy for his professional advice and continual encouragement during the period of my graduate study; to Dr. Guteng for providing me with professional guidance during the conception and development of this book; and to Dr. Madan Vasishta for his sustained encouragement and his constructive comments on my bookwork.

The sparkle and shine of this book is the result of the marvelous editing skills and suggestive corrections by Mr. Robert Johnson. Special thanks to the educational authorities in Nigeria who granted me permission to collect the data for my study; to teachers and principals who devoted their times in completing the survey instrument; and to Mrs. Mary Didel, the Director of Special Education in Plateau state in Nigeria who helped distributing and collecting the questionnaires from teachers and principals.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all teaching faculty and administrators in the Department of Administration and Supervision who have helped offering one of the most interesting programs for graduate students.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my lovely mother Onikepe Akanji to whom I am indebted for all she did in raising me under very difficult stages of my life.

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the problems facing the management of the education of blind students in Nigerian public schools. The research questions addressed (1) assessing the quality and effectiveness of managerial practices governing the management of blind students in self-contained schools, (2) assessing the quality and effectiveness of policies and practices governing the inclusion of blind and visually impaired students in the regular classrooms of mainstreamed schools, (3) the unique nature of the problems confronting the academic performance of blind and visually impaired students in three of Nigeria’s most populous state capitals, and (4) assessing the obstacles associated with the self-concept of blind and visually impaired students. Several research hypotheses were also formulated and tested through appropriate statistical procedures.

The data for the study were collected through a survey instrument distributed to a group of high school teachers and principals of the three most populated state capitals. The findings of the study revealed the following conclusions.

1. An effective management of blind education in Nigerian public school requires adequate policies for inclusion of special needs students, proper knowledge about teaching in inclusive classroom, accommodations for inclusion of special needs students, availability of appropriate educational resources, joint effort among general and special education teachers, and allocation of necessary funds.

2. While there are some advantages associated with inclusion of special needs into the regular classroom, there are many disadvantages that need to be taken into consideration if inclusion practices are expected to be successful.

3. As a result of testing the research hypotheses, it was concluded that position, gender, and years of experience were significant factors in the perceptions of survey participants regarding a number of issues associated with the management of blind education in Nigerian public schools.

Finally, based on the findings derived from examining the research questions and hypotheses, a number of recommendations were made to school administrators and teachers, the key educational policymakers, parents of blind students, higher education institutions, and federal government. Several suggestions are made to future researchers who might be interested in conducting other possible studies related to the education of blind students, especially in Nigeria.

List of Tables

Table 3.1. A Cross-tabulation of the Number of Teachers and Principals of Each State Capital by Gender and Years of Experience

Table 3.2. A Breakdown of the Mean and Standard Deviation of the Survey Participants’ Years of Experience by the State Capital They Are Currently Serving

Table 3.3. Reliability of the Survey Instrument

Table 4.1. Importance of Policies and Practices for Management of Blind Education

Table 4.2. Inclusion Problems Affecting Special Needs of the Blind and Visually Impaired Students

Table 4.3. Perceptions of the Participating Teachers and Principals Regarding Academic Performance of Bind Students

Table 4.4. Perceptions of the Participating Teacher and Principal Regarding the Self-Concept of Blind and Visually Impaired Students

Table 4.5. Commitment of Federal, State, Local Governments, Nationwide and Worldwide Organizations to Help Prevent Blindness among Nigerian Children

Table 4.6. Differences between the Perceptions of Principals and School Teachers Regarding Policies and Practices for Management of Blind Education

Table 4.7. Differences between the Perceptions of Principals and School Teachers Regarding Problems of Including Blind Students in Regular Classroom

Table 4.8. Differences between the Perceptions of Principals and School Teachers Regarding Academic Performance of Blind and Visually Impaired Students

Table 4.9. Differences between the Perceptions of Principals and School Teachers Regarding Self-Conception of Blind and Visually Impaired Students

Table 4.10. Differences between the Perceptions of Male and Female Participants Regarding Policies and Practices for Management of Blind Education

Table 4.11. Differences between the Perceptions of Male and Female Participants Regarding Problems of Including Blind Students in Regular Classroom

Table 4.12. Differences between the Perceptions of Male and Female Participants Regarding Academic Performance of Blind and Visually Impaired Students

Table 4.13. Differences between the Perceptions of Male and Female Participants Regarding Self-Conception of Blind and Visually Impaired Students

Table 4.14. Correlations between the Survey Participants’ Years of Experience and Their Perceptions Regarding Policies and Practices for Management of Blind Education

Table 4.15. Correlations between the Survey Participants’ Years of Experience and Their Perceptions Regarding Problems of Including Blind Students in Regular Classroom

Table 4.16. Correlations between the Survey Participants’ Years of Experience and Their Perceptions Regarding Academic Performance of Blind and Visually Impaired Students

Table 4.17. Correlations between the Survey Participants’ Years of Experience and Their Perceptions Regarding Self-Conception of Blind and Visually Impaired Students

CHAPTER I

Statement Of The Problem

Many African countries have shown a commitment to establish national policies in special education to provide equal educational opportunities for all children, irrespective of their physical and mental conditions (Boomie, 2004). Most African countries, according to UNESCO (1996), have developed policies which strongly support education of children with disabilities. However, despite these policies, the dreams of most disabled students concerning adequate educational preparation for employment and support services are yet to be realized. According to studies by the World Health Organization (2001), students with disabilities across Africa, have not been given a proper planning and organizational orientation. Africa’s planning, organization, and management have been characterized by lack of vision and commitment, inadequate funding, lack of necessary interest among experts, and negative attitudes towards children with disabilities influenced by African values, tradition, and culture (Abosi, 1999).

Attitudes of many governments towards the education of children with disabilities could be said to be shrouded in ambivalence. As indicated by Fafnuwa (2002), a conflict exists between desirable intentions and the implementation of those desirable intentions, due to African society’s differing value judgments about the disabilities. Fafnuwa (2002) further indicates that while the various government attitudes toward the education of children with disabilities are enlightened, favorable, and worthy of commendation, that such laudable attitudes are seldom seen in the implementation of special education programs. Some of these value conflicts are cast into a sharper light when it comes to budgetary allocation. The actual allocation of funds to special education is usually insignificant, and does not reflect the expectations of various national policies on special education, policies that guarantee equal educational opportunities for all citizens (Boomie, 2004). In fact, some policies have gone further to say that children with special needs must be educated alongside children without disabilities (Atinmo, 2000).

In Nigeria, special education policies are consistently ingrained in overall educational policies (Obiakor, 1991). Because of the federal, and consequently the regional, government’s role in providing educational opportunities for all citizens, special education policies are not formed in isolation (Obiakor, 1991). They are part of educational decisions made by the federal, state, and local governments. The 1981 revision of the Nigerian National Policy on Education is particularly reemphasizing a number of educational policies developed (a) to secure equality of educational opportunities for all children; (b) to educate disabled children to play useful roles in the development of the nation; (c) to enable gifted and talented children to develop at their own pace; (d) to work toward the integration of exceptional children in the regular school system; and (e) to develop the manpower necessary to achieve these objectives.

As indicated by Atinmo (2000), the Nigerian government supports integration as the most realistic form of special education based on the general philosophy that handicapped children are expected to live in Nigerian society. However, there have been long and continuing debates on the merits and demands of integrating children with disabilities with their normal peers. Atinmo (2000) attests that while it is believed that disabled children have a good opportunity of learning desirable behaviors through mainstreaming, most of the schools in Nigeria have classes too many students to allow the teacher to provide individual attention to children with special needs.

The National Policy on Education which was first formulated in 1977 has a whole chapter devoted to the education and services of individuals with special needs. The policy was revised in 1981. The policy document holds a lot of promises with regards to the provision of appropriate educational and relevant services to citizens with special needs in the country. According to Article 55 of the document, the purpose and objectives of special needs provision are: (a) to grant concrete meaning to the idea of equalizing educational opportunities for all children, their physical, mental and emotional disabilities notwithstanding; (b) to provide adequate education for all handicapped children and adults in order that they may fully play their roles in the development of the nation; and (c) to provide opportunities for exceptionally gifted children to develop at their own pace in the interest of the nation’s economic and technological development.

In order to achieve the aforementioned goals, Article 56 in the document highlighted actions that the federal government would embark upon. They include: (a) the Federal Ministry of Education will set up a committee to co-ordinate special needs provision in collaboration with the ministries of Health, Social Welfare and Labor, (b) a census of individuals with disabilities in the country will be conducted in order to adequately plan services to meet their needs, (c) government will accept the responsibility for the training/provision of qualified personnel in all aspects of special needs provision, (d) government will provide the necessary facilities to ensure effective integration of most learners with special needs and those who are academically gifted in regular educational institutions, (e) the education of individuals with disabilities will be free up to university level, (f) vocational institutions will be established and suitable employment opportunities will be created for individuals with disabilities, (g) children’s clinics will be attached in most hospitals in order to encourage prevention, early detection and timely initiation of curative and rehabilitative measures, and (h) a committee on special education and a national council for rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities will be established to ensure full implementation of these programs.

Clearly, the promises held in the policy document for individuals with disabilities in the country are admirable. However, as a result of a literature review on special education in Nigeria, Eleweke (2005) has concluded that, with the exception of the training of special education teachers, virtually all other promises of the policy document have remained at the theory level. Elekewe also attests that the country’s educational and other services for individuals with disabilities are far away from any standards of service delivery to these individuals. He further attributes the problem to the absence of any legislation giving support to the implementation of the provisions in the policy document.

Management of the education of blind children in Nigeria is currently under the umbrella of Nigerians with Disability Decree (See Appendix A) and in compliance with the policies and procedures set forth by federal government to handle the special needs of children with disabilities (Ozoji, 2005). Although there is a Nigerian Commission for People with Disabilities (See Appendix B), today, there is now written policies and procedures by federal government to specifically address the needs of blind and visually impaired children (Ozoji, 2005). However, within each state, school districts have their own policies and procedures to handle the needs of blind and visually impaired children (Boomie, 2004). Unfortunately, due to the budgetary restrictions and lack of supporting staff, most of the school districts cannot afford handling the special needs of these children; and have to place them into the regular classroom (Boomie, 2004). Therefore, throughout the country, a sporadic number of private schools, church-related schools, non-profit organizations, voluntary organizations, local communities, and Christian and Islamic missionaries emerge who provide financial assistance as well as a variety of educational services to blind and visually impaired children (Ozoji, 2005).

Education of the blind in Nigeria is a very important issue in special education which needs to receive increasing attention. Integrated schooling for the blind children is only implemented at the post-primary level. Blind and visually impaired students, after successfully gaining admission to a secondary school, are taught side by side with their sighted classmates. Occasionally in such schools, there is a specialist educator who acts as resource teacher for the blind (Ozoji, 2005). Another way of integrating children in Nigerian schools is the one in which at least one class consisting entirely of blind children. In such situation, those students are usually of the same grade level (Ozoji, 2005). The third type of integration is the one in which two or more types of disabled children use the same school together, as one. Such schools are divided into sections for the visually handicapped, the hearing impaired, and the mentally retarded (Ozoji, 2005). While each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages, the issue of managing the education of blind students in Nigerian public schools deserves further investigation.

CURRENT AND FUTURE TRENDS OF SPECIAL EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

Prior and during the creation of the First Republic in Nigeria, provision of any kind of special