The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) is steering a new wave of reform in Nigeria’s basic education sector by formally introducing sign language into all primary and junior schools. The announcement was made by Executive Secretary Aisha Garba during the 2025 International Day of the Girl-Child in Abuja, under the theme “Lead a Change: Learn Sign Language Today.” Her words: “Imagine a country where hospitals, banks, supermarkets, airports and schools have sign‑language interpreters … you will have a system without communication barriers for our hearing‑impaired children.”
For Nigeria, this is not simply a policy add‑on — it has the potential to reshape basic education. A national review of inclusive education found that although policies exist, the real bottlenecks include teacher training, infrastructure, and assistive tools. One Nigerian study stressed that “the integration of students with sensory disability into regular classrooms remains limited due to … inadequate infrastructure, insufficient teacher training, societal attitudes, and lack of appropriate teaching resources.”
In practical terms, UBEC is responding. The commission now mandates accessibility structures, such as ramps, in schools. It is investing in digital learning tools and teacher-training programmes tailored for children with special needs, in partnership with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). This holistic approach that UBEC advocates aligns with global best practice. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) argues that inclusive and equitable quality education is essential to break cycles of poverty and achieve sustainable development.
“Inclusion is not charity; it is justice,” says Dr Akhere Aghedo‑Akran, an inclusive‑education specialist. He highlights that in Nigeria and many low‑income settings, children with disabilities face “double discrimination” — because of disability and because of financial hardship.
Meanwhile, internationally, the network Inclusion International emphasises that inclusive education systems require children with and without disabilities to learn together, with suitable supports in place.
Nigeria’s move to institutionalise sign language stands as one such support. It has implications far beyond the hearing‑impaired: when classrooms become accessible and teachers are trained to use different modes of communication, all learners benefit. However, some challenges cannot be ignored. In many Nigerian remote communities and villages, schools lack basic infrastructure. Sustained funding, training and coordination across federal, state and local governments will determine how far this initiative goes.
Indeed, by making sign language a formal part of basic education, UBEC is not merely supporting hearing-impaired children; it is taking a step towards a more inclusive and equitable school system for all. If well implemented, Nigeria could offer a model for transforming policy into practice, giving every child a voice and a chance to learn.
