The untold story of talented students with disabilities in Katsina state, the deaf students innovated electronic tractors from scratch.
This is coming at a time Nigeria needs youth with innovations to reduced the rate of dependency, insecurity, unemployment, thuggery, cultism, and even corruption to its higher level.
Daily Episode learned that Kabir Usman Jikamshi and Ismail Ahmad Dutsinma, SS3 students of Government School for the Deaf, Malumfashi, Katsina State improvised a version of the electric tractor using an empty container.
Physically challenged students such as hearing impairment have been encountering difficulties in securing and studying in Nigerian varsity for lack of education facilities.
According to the World Health Organization’s 2011 World Disability Report, about 15 percent of Nigeria’s population, or at least 25 million people, have a disability. Many of them face several human rights cases of abuse including stigma, discrimination, violence, and lack of access to healthcare, housing, and education.
Although in January 2018 President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, following 9 years of relentless advocacy by disability rights groups and activists.
The deaf student faced challenges of negligence by the governments and the people in recognizing their talent or giving them required opportunities.
In 2018, the JAMB boss suggested that at least one deaf person should be employed in all ministries and agencies to employ the deaf and physically challenged.
The Katsina State Association of Deaf and the school management urge the Katsina State Government to grant the duo (Kabir Usman Jikamshi and Ismail Ahmad Dutsinma) automatic scholarships to further their education, develop their fledgling talents, and ultimately make the school, Katsina State and Nigeria proud.
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