Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas has called for trained teachers and tailored learning support for children with special educational needs, warning that enrolling them in schools without providing the necessary assistance does not amount to genuine inclusion.
Kefas spoke at the weekend during the launch of the Solution Nest Education Initiative (SNEI) and the unveiling of its See the Child First campaign, which promotes understanding and inclusion for children with diverse learning needs.
He said inclusive education must go beyond access to classrooms to ensure that every child receives the support, respect and sense of belonging needed to thrive.
“For neurodivergent learners and children at risk of exclusion, inclusion must go beyond admission into a classroom. It must mean trained teachers, appropriate learning support, shared engagement and a genuine sense of belonging,” the governor said.
Kefas also recounted a personal experience in which his family failed to recognise that his younger daughter needed additional understanding and support while growing up.
“While we were discussing recently, I realised that we had failed to recognise something special about her when she was growing up. We did not understand that she was a special child,” he said.
He added: “As I went through this programme, I was reminded that this girl needed the kind of understanding and support that could have saved her from suffering.”
The governor said the experience had deepened his appreciation of the initiative and expressed his readiness to partner with its organisers to advance inclusive education.
He said Taraba State’s commitment to free education was based on the belief that no child should be denied the opportunity to learn because of their circumstances. However, he stressed that access must be accompanied by support tailored to individual learning needs.
Citing Mark 10:13–16 of the Bible, Kefas said the account of Jesus welcoming children whom His disciples had attempted to turn away offered a lesson in recognising every child’s worth.
“Where others placed a barrier, Jesus made room for the children, gave them His attention and recognised their worth. That example challenges all of us today,” he said.
He urged parents, schools and public institutions to translate the campaign’s message into practical measures to prevent children with diverse learning needs from being excluded.
“Before we judge, let us understand first. Before we exclude, let us enable. And before we see a label, let us see the child,” he said.
The initiator of SNEI, Henrietta Ikediashi, said her experience working with children with special educational needs had inspired her to establish the initiative to address the challenges they face in Nigerian schools.
She recounted the case of a six-year-old boy who was beaten by a teacher at a private school, saying the incident exposed gaps in teachers’ understanding of children’s needs and in child-protection measures.
Ikediashi said she visited the school and requested its safeguarding policy but discovered that it had none. Although the school offered to dismiss the teacher, she rejected the proposal, arguing that the problem extended beyond one individual to a lack of adequate training.
“If she knew better, she would do better. And that has been our slogan,” she said.
She said SNEI had developed a training programme to equip educators with the skills to support children with diverse learning needs.
“And so, we created a programme that trains the trainers because, to save the child, we must first teach the teacher,” she said.
According to Ikediashi, participants in one of the initiative’s virtual training sessions remained online for nine hours, demonstrating their willingness to learn despite gaps in their professional preparation.
“They learned, they unlearned and they were retooled. Nine hours, and nobody wanted to leave. That told me something: the hunger is there, but the training isn’t,” she said.
She also challenged classroom management practices that prioritise control over understanding, arguing that educators should build relationships with children and seek to understand their individual needs before resorting to punishment.
Recalling an observation by the initiative’s international facilitator and technical partner, Wanyu Awaka, she said his remarks had prompted her to rethink how adults guide children.
“How can children truly learn when you choose control over direction?” she quoted him as asking.
Ikediashi said the observation reinforced SNEI’s guiding principle of “connection before correction”, which encourages adults to understand the reasons behind children’s behaviour rather than immediately interpreting it as disobedience.
She explained that children who scream, run away or withdraw into silence might be communicating needs they cannot express through conventional language.
“Because a child who screams, who runs or who goes silent is not a bad child. That child is speaking the only language available to them. And it is up to us to understand that language,” she said.
The SNEI initiator added that the organisation had helped families develop individualised plans based on children’s strengths and learning needs, while guiding parents on how to interpret and respond to their behaviour.
She stressed that neurodivergent children deserved equal opportunities to learn, develop their abilities and pursue their aspirations.
“A neurodivergent child is a child whose brain works differently. Such a child has the right to dream like any other child,” she said.
As part of its expansion plans, SNEI intends to establish a therapy centre to provide early intervention for children and guidance for families, as well as a specialised school designed around individual learning needs.
The initiative also plans to take its awareness campaign to communities across the country, expand its teacher-training programmes and host an international conference in Abuja to promote inclusive education.
Ikediashi said the proposed therapy centre would provide a supportive environment where children could receive early assistance and parents could obtain guidance without facing blame or stigma.
The chairman of the occasion and President of the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI), Ambassador Emmanuel Obi Okafor, called for an end to the stigmatisation and exclusion of children with special educational needs.
Okafor said Nigeria had yet to adequately address the needs of children who learn or develop differently, noting that labelling them often prevents them from receiving the understanding and support they need.
“In Nigeria, we have not always known what to do with children who live differently. That is, children who develop at their own pace, children who see the world through the lens of our school system, which is not designed to understand them,” he said.
He described SNEI as a challenge to institutions and society to recognise the abilities and potential of children with diverse learning, developmental and behavioural needs.
Okafor said the initiative’s efforts to advance inclusive education, strengthen support systems and empower parents, educators and communities were essential to ensuring that no child was left behind.
“What SNEI is doing today is a direct challenge to all of us. It is a declaration of belief,” he said.
The AANI president urged parents whose children had been misunderstood, overlooked or excluded from the conventional school system to seek support and work with the initiative to promote their children’s inclusion and development.