The COVID-19 Pandemic and Education during a State of Emergency: Re-assessing the Right to Education of Children with Disabilities in Nigeria

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak necessitated UNESCO’s declaration of a state of emergency regarding education. The physical and social distancing approach to curb the spread of the virus made way for the adoption of distance learning, which was meant to be inclusive. This article examines conceptual and historical perspectives to determine whether distance education was adequate towards acting in the best interests of the child with disabilities. The needs of disabled children may vary and ‘a one size fits all’ approach cannot always satisfy these, especially not in an environment where social barriers exist. During the state of emergency, it was expected that the Nigerian government would provide an environment where children with disabilities received the desired support. The article also seeks to establish whether children with disabilities had access to digital and mass communication devices to connect them to distance education and also if the state of infrastructure was satisfactory in coping with the obligations of the government towards inclusive education before and after the pandemic, especially under COVID-19 distance education. Furthermore, the article will focus on the level of tolerance and co-existence between able-bodied children and those with disabilities, comparing the pre- and post-COVID-19 eras. It investigates whether inclusive education and peaceful co-existence could be achieved by adopting indigenous languages in schools and having recourse to African legal tradition.