The Oyo State Government has launched a pioneering initiative to improve access to education for children with visual impairments by distributing free Braille textbooks to pupils in special basic schools, marking a significant step towards inclusive education.
The textbooks were presented to 10 special basic schools during a ceremony at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in Ibadan, the state capital. The initiative is aimed at ensuring that children with visual impairments have the same opportunities to learn and excel as their sighted peers.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the Oyo State Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Ayodele Adekambi, said the project was born out of discussions held in 2022 with education stakeholders on the urgent need to make Braille learning materials readily available for visually impaired learners.
According to Adekambi, the state first distributed Braille textbooks to secondary school students in 2024. Building on that success, the government expanded the programme to include primary-level learners after developing Braille textbooks specifically for basic education in 2025.
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He described the initiative as a landmark achievement, noting that Oyo State is currently the only state in Nigeria investing in the production and free distribution of Braille textbooks for visually impaired learners.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Bamidele Oyinloye, described textbooks as fundamental tools for effective learning, stressing that visual impairment should never be a barrier to academic achievement.
She commended the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde and the Oyo State Agency for Persons with Disabilities for committing significant resources to the project, urging beneficiary schools to preserve the materials and ensure they are used effectively to improve learning outcomes.
Also speaking, the Acting Director of Special Needs and Inclusion, Aderemi Suara, said the programme represents a historic milestone for the state. He noted that since Oyo State was created in 1976, no previous administration had produced Braille textbooks for visually impaired learners.
He recalled that the government had previously distributed Braille textbooks, teaching aids, and instructional materials to secondary schools in June 2024, while the latest intervention extends support to children at the foundational stage of education.
The textbooks cover a broad range of subjects, including Mathematics, English Language, Basic Science and Technology, Christian Religious Studies, Islamic Religious Studies, Pre-Vocational Studies, National Values, Yoruba Language, and literature storybooks.
