Visually impaired solicit help

Charles Nwankwo

The Visually Impaired Students in Ebonyi State Special School, Opefia Izzi in Izzi LGA, Ebonyi State, have requested necessary social amenities to make life meaningful and enhance teaching and learning in their school.

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The visually challenged students, who are studying how to read and write in an interior village made the request during their second inter-house sports held on the school premises recently.

Responding to the request expressed in their welcome song, the Member 1 in the State Universal Basic Education Board, Hon. Sabinus Nwankwegu, who represented the State Chairman, Universal Basic Education Board, Hyacinth Ikpor, said he was overwhelmed with the high population of the school and the wonderful performance of the visually impaired ones, stating that he had come to believe in the saying that “there is ability in disability” when he saw the visually impaired students performing and the inter-house sports event.

Hon. Nwankwegu observed that the visually impaired students’ welcome song presentation and cultural dance were more coordinated compared with that of normal students.

“I saw God’s hand at work; God is wonderful. God is so marvelous and His work can never be described within a twinkle of an eye,” Nwankwegu said.

“UBEB has the temerity to handle the challenges of the special school. I am assuring you that I will take the school’s request to the Chairman of UBEB in Ebonyi State, who sent me.

“The school needs more classroom blocks, borehole and perimeter fencing. I want the principal of the junior secondary classes to keep reminding the UBEB Office to include the school in the next project budget.

“It should be on record that 2021/2022 inter-house  sports, which UBEB was conspicuously represented by Member 1 and promised that in the next batch of school project awards, special school, Opefia, Izzi LGA, must be considered.

“I am very happy with the students during the sporting event; they performed beyond expectation. I thank teachers of this school for putting in their best to train the leaders of tomorrow, and I urge you to be punctual to school always, as you ought to be so that you don’t enter into the school monitoring team trap, especially at school resumption period. The destiny of the school children is in the hands of the teachers and you should not joke with them.”

In his speech, the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Sunday Ukpah, described inter-house sports events as a day on which sporting activities are organised for students to compete in sports, it used to be a great day between teachers, students, host villagers, and invitees.

He added that the importance of inter-house sports could not be overemphasized because talents are being discovered in inter-house sports.

Chief Ukpah thanked the Principal,  teachers, PTA, and Students for organising a special event on a special day.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Senior Principal of the school, Dr. Emmanuel Utobo, said sports and education are Siamese twins that cannot be separated without serious damage, adding that “all work without play makes Jack a dull boy”. He pointed out that all-round education, which is the best form of education for a child is incomplete without sports.

Dr. Utobo commended the Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, who declared inter-house sports competitions a necessity for all the schools in Ebonyi State.

“State Special School, Opefia, runs an inclusive programme where you have the visually impaired and normal students, studying together in the same environment. The scheme of work is one; only that the visually impaired ones make use of learning materials gadgets, such as tape recorder, typewriter, Braille machine, exclusive customised computer because the computer talks back to them to enable them to understand,” the principal said.

He catalogued the needs of the school: “Special education is very expensive and the gadgets are also expensive; lack of teachers, electricity are also among the challenges that are affecting teaching and learning in the special school. Though we have special teachers we need more of those things. We have about fifteen PTA teachers paid by PTA; we need more government teachers.

“Another one is immediate perimeter fencing for security purposes. The PTA is on it but we need help from the government. The project is too much for them alone to handle.

“However, we thank the Government of Ebonyi State for their efforts so far but we need more from them. We are sincerely appealing to the government and spirited individuals to come to our aid for the betterment of the impaired students and others in the school.”