Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has approved new names for 19 Schools for people with special needs across the state. This was made known by the Executive Assistant to the Governor on People With Disability, Barrister Ayodele Adekanbi, on Thursday.

Barrister Adekanbi, while speaking during the public presentation of the new names for the Special Schools at the Conference Room, Ministry of Education, Secretariat, Ibadan, noted that the era of using derogatory words to address individuals with disability and their schools in Oyo State have become a thing of the past.

The Executive Assistant also stressed that the launching of the new names became imperative, owing to the fact that the old names discouraged lots of people living with disability to enroll in special schools. A development which according to him has brought a lot of setbacks into the society.

Barrister Adekanbi who appreciated the Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde for giving the go-ahead to change the names of the special schools, noted that the development will encourage those who are out of school to re-enroll.

Earlier in his address of welcome, the State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Abdulraham Abiodun, said Special Schools from the onset are identified with nomenclatures that are derogatory which was believed to be normal. As a result, Mr. Abdulrahaman said the occasion was to invite non-governmental organizations and notable individuals to partner with the state government with the view to improving the standard of education of persons with special needs.

The names of the 19 special schools changed were:

– Ibadan School for the Deaf, now to be known as Ibadan Special Basic School

– Oyo State School for the Blind, Ogbomoso, now known as Oyo State Basic School, Ogbomoso

– Home School for the Handicapped HLA Compound, Agodi Gate, Ibadan now HLA Special Basic School Agodi Gate, Ibadan

– Oyo School for the Handicapped now Oyo Special Basic School, Durbar, Oyo

– Community School for the Handicapped, Oke Ora, Ogbomoso now Community Special Basic School, Oke Ora Ogbomoso

– Handicapped Special School Saki now Special Basic School Saki

– School for the Handicapped, Ekunle, Iseyin now Special Basic School, Ekunle, Iseyin

among others.