The National Universities Commission (NUC) on Thursday said it would include the study of Autism in its university curriculum.
Its Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okojie, said this at a one-day
seminar organised by the commission in collaboration with Autism Care
and Support Initiative (ACSI), an NGO in Abuja.
The theme of the seminar is ”The need for professional awareness and
capacity building in the field of special education in Nigerian
universities - a focus on autism.”
Okojie said autism should be viewed from a new perspective and beyond family because it was a national issue.
He said it was the responsibility of all to ensure care and management
of the young and elderly in the society, especially those with special
needs.
Okojie called on educators to devise means of making special education affordable and qualitative.
He explained further that the commission would convene a stakeholders
meeting to chart a course for the effective management of autism.
Also, former Minister of Aviation, Dr Kema Chikwe, described NUC’s move
as a “progressive idea to institutionalize the care of autism”.
Chikwe, said it was fundamental to train and have educated and experienced people to handle autism.
“If there is success in bringing autism issue into the curriculum, then
the management of the disorder will be professional,” she noted. She
also advised parents with autistic children to seek professional help in
their upbringing and management.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the Initiative, Dr Julia Ejiogu,
said there was a need for professional awareness and capacity building
in the field of special education with a focus on autism.
Ejiogu said children with autism often faced many challenges and stigma because of lack of awareness on the brain disorder.
She said the collaboration with NUC to integrate the studies into
universities curriculum would help graduates understand the needs of the
children for effective learning.
In his address, the Director of Academic Standards in the NUC, Prof.
Alhassan Bichi, said that awareness on autism and care was not fully
absorbed.
Bichi said the NUC planned to develop a curriculum that would dwell on the clinical and social aspects of autism. (NAN)
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