The Zamfara College of Art and Sciences (ZACAS) has declared free tuition and accommodation for People With Disabilities (PWDs) in the state.
Dr Sanusi Yakubu, provost of the college, disclosed this on Friday in Kaduna at the dissemination meeting on social inclusion assessment report in Zamfara state.
The report was facilitated by the Expanding Social Protection for Inclusive Development (ESPID), a UKaid funded programme, with CSOs and other key stakeholders from the state.
The three-day meeting was organised by Save the Children International (SCI), a UKaid supported NGO.
Yakubu said the college was providing free admission, registration and accommodation to PWDs in order to support them and ensure they were included in educational opportunities.
“The issue of PWDs is one of the major components of social protection. The issue of social protection requires commitments from various stakeholders.
“We consider giving free education to PWDs considering their conditions, to contribute our quota as one of the major stakeholders in social protection,” he said.
Similarly, the member, representing North West geo-political zone in the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Hajiya Amina Audu, urged government to enact People With Disabilities (PWDs) Discrimination Act.
Audu noted that the Act, if enacted and well implemented, would help in protecting the rights of PWDs, especially as it will ensure they were included in various educational opportunities.
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“If we can have the Act, it will help us to achieve the provision of well designed grievances redress mechanisms for PWDs;
“Appropriate sensitisation for PWDs in all social protection programmes in the state, both in design and implementation, including capacity building for disabled persons organisations,” she said.
According to her, there was also the need for data on PWDs, updated constantly by government at all levels.
“Private organisations should be encouraged to support SPP, especially as it affects PWDs, while the MDAs should be trained on disability rights,” she explained.
The gender and social inclusion specialist of the ESPID programme, Mariam El-Yakub, also said that the meeting was to strategically develop pathways of integrating and using findings of the report for improved social protection sector service delivery.
She added that the programme would also develop an Action Plan and next steps, following the recommendations in the report.
“On behalf of the SCI, I appreciate all stakeholders in the state for their contributions towards achieving effective social protection programmes in the state” she said.
El-Yakub called for proper coordination of SP implementation by MDAs, in order to ensure effective inclusion of all marginalised vulnerable groups in the state in social protection activities and programmes.
