Reflecting on the Effect of COVID-19 on Access to Tertiary Education for Persons with Disability: Nigerian Colleges of Education in Perspective
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Date
2023
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Published by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
Abstract
Persons with disability continue to be marginalized and discriminated against by the
trend of non-inclusion of ‘special education’ in the curriculum of almost all Colleges of
Education in Nigeria despite the promulgation of special regulatory frameworks that
protect their right to access equal tertiary education. Surprisingly, COVID-19 pandemic
has called for reflection on the access to tertiary education for persons with disability in
Nigeria. This is as a result of the introduction of new models of e-learning and virtual
teaching. Thus, a shift of emphasis to inductive education as against segregated
approach is imperative. Arguably, the stigmatization of person with disability in the
traditional face-to-face learning will be reduced as the introduction of these models by
the pandemic serves as protection against any barrier and discrimination to access
tertiary education in Nigeria. Against this background, this article makes an empirical
investigation on the extent of compliance of Colleges of education with regulatory
frameworks on access to tertiary education for persons with disability with the new
teaching strategies/models which COVID-19 has uncovered. The article reveals that the
non-inclusion of special education in 112 Colleges of Education in Nigeria out of 113
Colleges is a grave impediment to the achievement of the goal of “Education for All.”
It concludes that the recent development of mandatory e-learning and virtual teaching
will go a long way to enhance equal right to tertiary education for persons with disability
in Nigeria as the model holds great potential to be an avenue for their inclusion in
learning. The article recommends political will to implement the provisions of the extant
regulatory frameworks on ‘special education’ and the initiation of programmes for the
training of support personnel and teachers/lecturers for the Colleges of Education in
Nigeria.
Keywords: Access to Tertiary education, Colleges of education, COVID-19 pandemic,
Special education, Persons with disability, Regulatory framework
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Access to Tertiary education, Colleges of education, COVID-19 pandemic, Special education, Persons with disability, Regulatory framework