The Department of Special Needs Education of the Ogun State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has trained over 150 teachers in Special Needs Schools across the State on Assistive Technology Integration in Special Education.

Commissioner in the Ministry, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, while declaring A-Day Capacity Building Workshop open in Abeokuta, with the theme: "Understanding the Implementation of Inclusive Education Strategies For Supporting Diverse Learners And Role Of Assistive Technology Integration In Special Needs", said the training was another demonstration of the government commitments to people living with disabilities.

Prof. Arigbabu recalled that the administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun places very high importance on special needs education by increasing the complimentary meals of the learners by over 120 percent, supplies wheelchairs and white canes for students mobility as well as resuscitated the braille book production centre.

          He also noted that present administration had not left the five special needs schools behind in the area of infrastructure interventions, as they were adequately supplied with furniture, modern toilet facilities, renovated and constructed buildings, as well as special motivations for their teachers to ensure smooth impartation of knowledge into the learners.

"I'm charging our teachers in the special schools to be empathetic, to be highly supportive and help the learners to realise that they can be a highly respected citizen of this great Nation," Arigbabu admonishes.

In her remarks, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, Mrs. Oluwatosin Oloko said that the purpose of the workshop was to improve teachers’ skills in the 21st Century teaching methodology in dealing with the children with special needs, appealing to the people in the society to support the government towards providing for their needs.

Earlier in her address, Director of Special Needs Education, Mrs. Deborah Ogundimu, noted that the programme was essential because it would help all the participants to have deeper understanding of the principles of inclusive education, improve strategies for diverse learners on the areas of their needs, abilities, and learning styles, as well as understanding how assistive technology could enhance learning and accessibility for students with disabilities.

In their separate presentations, a retired Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Elijah Akinyemi and Mrs. Maurine Ola-Williams congratulated the special needs teachers for being the beneficiaries of such an educative programme, urging them to cascade the knowledge acquired towards learners improvement.

Two of the participants, Mr. Oluomo Soyoola and Mrs. Grace Oresegun, appreciated the Governor for supporting their course by organising a credible workshop to increase their skills in dealing with pupils with special needs.