Stakeholders have called for sustained investment in teacher training and accessible learning resources to improve Mathematics education for learners with visual impairment across Nigeria.
The call was contained in a statement issued on Monday in Lagos by the Executive Director of the Resource Centre for the Blind (RCB), Mrs Temitayo Ayinla.
Ayinla said well-trained teachers remained at the heart of achieving equitable and inclusive education, urging governments and development partners to increase support for specialised Mathematics instruction.
She disclosed that the Resource Centre for the Blind recently organised a three-day Train-the-Trainers workshop in Lagos to equip resource teachers with skills in accessible Mathematics instruction.
According to her, participants were trained on specialised teaching methods and the effective use of assistive instructional devices to support learners with visual impairment.
Ayinla noted that many visually impaired students continued to face significant barriers to effective Mathematics education due to inadequate specialised teaching materials, limited access to assistive devices and insufficient teacher preparation.
She said these challenges not only affected students’ academic performance but also reduced their opportunities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and other Mathematics-related fields.
“Improving access to quality Mathematics education requires sustained investment in teachers, who remain the foundation of inclusive education,” she said.
Ayinla also called for stronger collaboration among government, development partners, educational institutions and civil society organisations to expand access to inclusive teaching resources and continuous professional development for educators.
She stressed that ensuring equal access to quality Mathematics education for learners with visual impairment was essential to advancing educational inclusion, human capital development and national growth.
Also speaking, the General Manager of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), Mrs Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to inclusive education through policies and programmes that support persons with disabilities.
Oyetunde-Lawal said strengthening teachers’ capacity would enable learners with visual impairment to develop analytical, problem-solving and critical thinking skills through quality Mathematics education.
She added that LASODA had secured additional examination time for candidates with disabilities during the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by JAMB and continued to support inclusive schools with educational materials.
