By Abdou Karim
A disabled rights activist and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kaddy’s Foundation for Differently abled Persons, Ms. Kaddy Jadama, has said that people with disabilities “should also benefit” from the ongoing “Media Schooling” being conducted by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE), for students in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that forced schools to temporarily suspend classroom lessons.
Ms. Jadama, whose Foundation fights for the rights of people with disabilities, is also the Vice President of Focus on Brikama–which prepares young talents through counselling and education and hosts events that showcase Gambian talents to the international world.
Kaddy, as this medium gathered, advocates for disabled persons’ rights to quality education, shelter, and the need to harness their talents. And, to have the same privileges and equal rights and opportunities in the society.
Since the Gambia confirmed her first positive COVID-19 case, all schools are closed and the MoBSE provides radio and television distance education programme for students to continue learning.
However, CEO Jadama while praising the ministry for providing education to students at this crucial moment was quick to charge that deaf and visual-impaired children are not benefiting. Therefore, she posited, similar platform should be provided for them to have access to education, whilst the state of public emergency continues.
The disability rights activist is of the view that, the deaf people couldn’t listen to the lecturers on radio, and the visual-impaired students also can’t watch it on television. She reminded that the deaf and visual-impaired children have the same rights as everyone else, to benefit from the program, “but are forgotten by MoBSE”.
“We want an inclusive society where we all have the right to life, work, education, safety and good health,” she echoed. Ms. Jadama stressed it would be sad when the government failed to put measures to protect the disabled people, referring to Section 30 of the 1997 constitution of The Gambia, which, she said, has granted an inclusive society, “[where] no child should be left behind, denied or neglected”.
She further lamented that poor families without TV or students in the province without electricity would also not be benefiting from the programme. The Kaddy’s Foundation boss further noted that the differently abled people are vulnerable and need the protection amid the COVID-19 Pandemic that has threatened everyone.
“There is a need to help the disabled community in the fight against COVID-19,” she rounded off.
