A Deaf Nigerian Philanthropist based in the United States of America, Mr. Isaac Awonuga, has called on the government of Nigeria, stakeholders and parents to support the education of deaf children and empower deaf adults in the country.
Awonuga, who appealed in an interview organised in commemoration of his birthday, explained that the appeal became necessary because of the uneven attention deaf children continually receive from stakeholders when it comes to the issue of education.
According to him, “Deaf children deserve better education because they have the potential for greatness. If a deaf child is adequately trained and given all necessary supports, he or she has the potential to become a president, governor, senator, professor, doctor, engineer, etc.”
While narrating how his father made efforts to support his education as a child and thus saw the best of him, Awonuga called on parents to give their deaf children equal opportunities as their hearing siblings.
The philanthropist urged parents to send their wards early to school and called on teachers to avoid corporal punishment that could send wrong signals to children or make them abandon schools.
Awonuga, who said he is passionate about deaf education, also called for the employment of more deaf teachers, noting that having a Deaf teacher with the ability to effectively communicate, offers better chances of success with Deaf learners than other categories of teachers.
He further called for the employment of deafer, work-age adults in Nigeria, saying is the only way to stop street begging among them.
“We have so many deaf persons who have graduated with good certificates but cannot find jobs because the government failed to employ or support them,” Awonuga added.
