Pacelli School for the Blind Wins Lagos Quiz Contest

Pacelli School for the Blind, Surulere, Lagos, has emerged winner in the maiden edition of a two-day quiz competition organised by the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA) between pupils of regular and special schools in Lagos State.

The event, themed “Towards Inclusive Education in Lagos State” which held in Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, had eight primary schools participating at the preliminary stage but only four of the schools made it to the final stage of the keenly contested competition.

Speaking at the event, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, said the gesture was in line with the state government’s promise to reposition the socio-political and economic fortunes of people living with disabilities in the state.

The programme, he added, was also “designed to create windows of opportunities to exhibit their inherent qualities and contribute to the economic growth of Lagos State”.

According to Muri-Okunola, “The Lagos State Government is of the view that by making education more accessible and inclusive, the number of literate people with disabilities would increase, thereby enhancing their social potential and relevance in the society.”

General Secretary of the Association of Teachers in Disability Schools in Lagos State, Azeez Alihu, commended the state government for identifying with people living with disabilities by enacting the relevant laws that protect their interests, but lamented that different groups of disabled people also face other various challenges in their academic pursuits and the larger society.

He pleaded with the state government to assist disabled people by providing tools and equipment that would enhance their learning skills, particularly the braille embosser used by the blind.

The winners were presented awards and cash prizes after the event in the following order: Pacelli School for the Blind – N100,000 for first prize; Estate Primary School, Ogba – N80,000 for second prize; and Maryland Primary School – N50,000 for third prize.
The pupils were tested in Mathematics, English Language and Social Studies.