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Nine out of ten people with disabilities are out of school, and 80 percent of all people with disabilities are without of job. They are often excluded from education and society due to physical, ideological, systemic, or communication barriers.
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Abia State government has taken the bull by horn by striving for a school system that leaves no-one behind. THE E4E (Education for Employment) SYSTEM. Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, via the E4E, seek to provide an improved quality of education for everyone.
Being out of education denies this group the ability to make friends, to learn how to read and write, and to master the skills that are crucial for future employment.
Governor Ikpeazu, having realized that if this injustice is not fought to a stand still, Abians will remain light-years away from the Sustainable Development Goals target to ensure a quality education for all by 2030.
In view of this challenges, the Abia State government under the auspices of the Education for Employment (E4E) programme coordinated by Mr. Endi Ezengwa on Tuesday, 25th July, 2017 inaugurated the Education for Employment (E4E) Special Needs Centre for Abia South Senatorial District. The Centre which was initiated and founded since 2013 as a non-governmental support group for persons with special needs as Agalaba Chapter of the National Association of Physically Challenged Persons, Ohanze, Obingwa L. G. A., Abia State has now been adopted and funded by the Abia State Government as E4E Special Needs Centre, Agalaba, Ohanze.
The fortunes of the Centre which was fast going moribund turned around when the attention of the wife of the Governor, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu and Coordinator of E4E, Mr. Endi Ezengwa, were drawn to their plight. No sooner had the government learnt about the ingenuity and collaboration of the persons with special needs of the Agalaba support group than the government provided funds for the acquisition and full furnishing of office apartments and skills training centres for the Agalaba Chapter of the National Association of Physically Challenged Persons, Ohanze, now, the E4E Special Needs Centre, Agalaba, Ohanze. The Abia State Government has undertaken to oversee the training programmes so as to meet the standards for certification by the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB).
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Endi Ezengwa emphasized the vision of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu (Ph.D.) to provide real empowerment to the people of Abia State through job and wealth-creation initiatives that will ensure the financial self-dependence of the people, including persons with special needs. In his speech, he explained that the E4E Special Needs Centre is aimed at fostering the financial independence of persons with special needs instead of promoting a non-sustainable system of social welfare programme where such persons are made to depend on regular stipends from government. He opined that a society can be rated, not by the number of physical infrastructure (sky-crappers, roads, houses, etc.) but by how well the government takes care of those who truly need help with a view to making them productive contributors to the economy of the State. Furthermore, the E4E programme is to provide an apprenticeship system that is in line with best global practices where the government collaborates with the organized private sector to teach vocational and technical skills within a reasonable period of time not more than 9-18 months with a view to effectively promoting the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) base of the economy. The immediate impact would be the massive boost in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR)of the State.
Fielding questions from Abia Online crew, Mr. Endi Ezengwa challenged the unemployed youths as well as persons with special needs in various parts of the State to not wait until they can get some help from the government or some donor agencies; instead, they should follow the laudable example of the innovative idea that led to the establishment of the support group and skills acquisition centre at Ohanze, independent of government aid. It is worthy of note that the co-founders, Mr. Joshua Ubani (a physically challenged person, then a business dealer in Electronics) and Mr. Eze Godswill Obinna (a graduate of Computer and Mathematics from the Federal College of Education, Technical, Omoku, River State, then a school teacher) raised funds from personal contributions, family members (especially from the father of Joshua Ubani) and from churches to set up a free skills acquisition centre for persons with special needs (most of whom are physically challenged). The different skills ranged from computer training, electronics and phone repairs, electrical works, shoe-making and leather works to tailoring and fashion design, and hair dressing. The organized group sought for commercial business centres and technicians’ shops whose owners/operators were willing to release to them free of charge for their scheduled training sessions. Usually, they sought out instructors from among themselves, the physically challenged, but would occasionally engage the free services of other instructors with skills desired by their members.
Some of the instructors include the following:
Eze Godswill Obinna (Computer)
Ms. Glory Ezinwanyi Nwogu (Tailoring, Fashion Design, and Hair Dressing) – with special needs
Mr. Okwuchi Ubani (Electronics, Phone Repairs) – with special needs
Mr. Benjamin Nwangwa (Electricals) – with special needs.
The Centre records a committed membership of over 35 persons with special needs from the region. Some of those who have completed the training programmes for the various skills have got jobs within and beyond Abia State.It is hoped that with the timely intervention of the Abia State government, through the E4E programme, greater impetus will be given to persons living with physical challenges of various forms to rise above their apparent disadvantages and strive to make the best of their God-given potentials.
Being out of education denies this group the ability to make friends, to learn how to read and write, and to master the skills that are crucial for future employment.
Governor Ikpeazu, having realized that if this injustice is not fought to a stand still, Abians will remain light-years away from the Sustainable Development Goals target to ensure a quality education for all by 2030.
In view of this challenges, the Abia State government under the auspices of the Education for Employment (E4E) programme coordinated by Mr. Endi Ezengwa on Tuesday, 25th July, 2017 inaugurated the Education for Employment (E4E) Special Needs Centre for Abia South Senatorial District. The Centre which was initiated and founded since 2013 as a non-governmental support group for persons with special needs as Agalaba Chapter of the National Association of Physically Challenged Persons, Ohanze, Obingwa L. G. A., Abia State has now been adopted and funded by the Abia State Government as E4E Special Needs Centre, Agalaba, Ohanze.
The fortunes of the Centre which was fast going moribund turned around when the attention of the wife of the Governor, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu and Coordinator of E4E, Mr. Endi Ezengwa, were drawn to their plight. No sooner had the government learnt about the ingenuity and collaboration of the persons with special needs of the Agalaba support group than the government provided funds for the acquisition and full furnishing of office apartments and skills training centres for the Agalaba Chapter of the National Association of Physically Challenged Persons, Ohanze, now, the E4E Special Needs Centre, Agalaba, Ohanze. The Abia State Government has undertaken to oversee the training programmes so as to meet the standards for certification by the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB).
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Endi Ezengwa emphasized the vision of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu (Ph.D.) to provide real empowerment to the people of Abia State through job and wealth-creation initiatives that will ensure the financial self-dependence of the people, including persons with special needs. In his speech, he explained that the E4E Special Needs Centre is aimed at fostering the financial independence of persons with special needs instead of promoting a non-sustainable system of social welfare programme where such persons are made to depend on regular stipends from government. He opined that a society can be rated, not by the number of physical infrastructure (sky-crappers, roads, houses, etc.) but by how well the government takes care of those who truly need help with a view to making them productive contributors to the economy of the State. Furthermore, the E4E programme is to provide an apprenticeship system that is in line with best global practices where the government collaborates with the organized private sector to teach vocational and technical skills within a reasonable period of time not more than 9-18 months with a view to effectively promoting the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) base of the economy. The immediate impact would be the massive boost in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR)of the State.
Fielding questions from Abia Online crew, Mr. Endi Ezengwa challenged the unemployed youths as well as persons with special needs in various parts of the State to not wait until they can get some help from the government or some donor agencies; instead, they should follow the laudable example of the innovative idea that led to the establishment of the support group and skills acquisition centre at Ohanze, independent of government aid. It is worthy of note that the co-founders, Mr. Joshua Ubani (a physically challenged person, then a business dealer in Electronics) and Mr. Eze Godswill Obinna (a graduate of Computer and Mathematics from the Federal College of Education, Technical, Omoku, River State, then a school teacher) raised funds from personal contributions, family members (especially from the father of Joshua Ubani) and from churches to set up a free skills acquisition centre for persons with special needs (most of whom are physically challenged). The different skills ranged from computer training, electronics and phone repairs, electrical works, shoe-making and leather works to tailoring and fashion design, and hair dressing. The organized group sought for commercial business centres and technicians’ shops whose owners/operators were willing to release to them free of charge for their scheduled training sessions. Usually, they sought out instructors from among themselves, the physically challenged, but would occasionally engage the free services of other instructors with skills desired by their members.
Some of the instructors include the following:
Eze Godswill Obinna (Computer)
Ms. Glory Ezinwanyi Nwogu (Tailoring, Fashion Design, and Hair Dressing) – with special needs
Mr. Okwuchi Ubani (Electronics, Phone Repairs) – with special needs
Mr. Benjamin Nwangwa (Electricals) – with special needs.
The Centre records a committed membership of over 35 persons with special needs from the region. Some of those who have completed the training programmes for the various skills have got jobs within and beyond Abia State.It is hoped that with the timely intervention of the Abia State government, through the E4E programme, greater impetus will be given to persons living with physical challenges of various forms to rise above their apparent disadvantages and strive to make the best of their God-given potentials.
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