Education of persons with visual impairment in Nigeria is functional education in that literacy education is designed alongside with functional skills which include vocational skills. However, the present educational system is observed to be producing graduates who solely depend on white colar jobs rather than practicing vocational skills that could meet their ends, thus, increasing unemployment rate and poverty in the country. This study takes a look at the situation from grass root level of education by examining the perspective of the primary school teachers towards this matter. Using a descriptive survey approach, twenty five teachers were randomly selected from five selected primary schools for children with visual impairment across Oyo State. The findings revealed that majority of the teachers agreed that children with visual impairment can earn good living from their vocational skills later in life, but 36% of the teachers are not interested to encourage the pupils to learn the skills. Factors such as lack of suitable market for vocational products, negative societal attitude to products made by persons with visual impairment, and lack of human and material resources and well-equipped vocational workshops in schools are the reasons for their responses. One of the recommendations made is that stakeholders in the country and international donors should assist in providing well-equipped vocational workshops in all primary schools for children with visual impairment in the state. Schools are also requested to collaborate with rehabilitation workshops to organize periodical exhibition and invite members of the public, in order to create a marketing platform for their products. Finally, primary school teachers are advised to encourage pupils with visual impairment to learn various vocational skills as much as they have the capacity to do so in order to prepare them for the challenges ahead.

1. Functional Education for Children with
Visual Impairment as an Antedote to
Poverty Reduction: Perspectives of Primary
School Teachers in Oyo State, Nigeria
Theo Ajobiewe, Ph.D.
FICMA, MAAIA, FNCEC
Special Educator & Rehabilitation Counsellor
Federal College of Education (Special), P.M.B. 1089 Oyo, Oyo
State, Nigeria
theoajobiewe@yahoo.com
GOD BLESS NIGERIAOludare J. Odewenwa
Special Educator & Braille Transcriber
Federal College of Education (Special), P.M.B. 1089 Oyo, Oyo
State, Nigeria E-mail: odewenwaoludare79@gmail.com
&

2. Background
Poverty has been an intercontinental
phenomenon affecting many nations of
the world, thus, its inclusion in the
MDGs.
Globally, progress has been uneven
across regions and countries, leaving
significant gaps, particularly among
persons with disabilities.

3. Where we are?
 In Nigeria, the target for 2015 is to reduce it to
21.40%. No report has been released officially
to determine how far it has been achieved, but,
global report shows that school enrollment has
increased from 83% to 91% in year 2015.
 As good as these goals and highly promising as
those efforts geared towards its achievement,
persons with visual impairment are still at
disadvantage, thus the need for concerted
efforts (UN, 2015).
 There is no better way to reduce poverty than
qualitative functional education.

4. Functional Education - Skills
 The focus of the presentation is on Vocational Skills

5. The Problem
 Yearly, tertiary institutions in Nigeria turn out
graduates with visual impairment in various
disciplines such as law, language, education,
etc. with little or no job in the labour market
for them to earn a good living.
 Literature revealed that vocational skills
which is to equip them was found not taught
by all primary schools.
 As a result, some of the students are not
taught these skills while majority of those
who were taught are not practicing it to earn
living
 Therefore, there is the need to approach the
problem from the grass root by examining the
position of primary school teachers on these
vocational skills.

6. Purpose - Specifically
Determine whether all primary schools for
children with visual impairment in Oyo State are
teaching vocational skills to their pupils with
visual impairment.
To examine the interest of the
teachers in those vocational skills;
To establish what structural
adjustment would the teachers want
in the teaching process.

7. Methodology
 Descriptive survey research design was
used
 A total of Twenty three (23) teachers
were selected randomly from five
selected primary schools for children
with visual impairment
 A researcher made instrument titled
“PTTFECWVI” was used
 The instrument was validated by
experts and tested reliable using test-
retest and a reliability coefficient of
0.66 was got

8. Results

9.  Research Question One: Are pupils with visual impairment in
Oyo State being taught vocational skills alongside the literacy
education?
3, 60%
2, 40%
Pie Chart Distribution of Schools Teaching Vocational
Skills
Yes No

10. Bar Chart Distribution of vocational skills
being taught in primary school
0
1
2
3
4
Weaving Knitting Tie & Die Beads
making
Leather
works
Computer
Operation
Others
NumberofSchools
Skills being taught

11. Bar chart distribution of how often are the
vocational skills being taught
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Daily Thrice in a
week
Twice in a
week
Once in a week Occasionally None
NumberofSChools
How often the functional skills are being taught

12.  Research Question Two: Are the primary school teachers of
children with visual impairment interested in vocational skills?
16, 64%
9, 36%
Pie Chart Distribution of Teachers Interest in
Vocational Skills
Yes
No

13.  Research Question Three: What structural adjustment would
the primary school teachers want in the teaching process?
Responses Frequency Percentage
Periods 4 16%
Content 12 48%
Materials 7 28%
Settings 15 60%

14. Summary of Major Findings
 Not all primary schools are teaching vocational skills
to pupils with visual impairment in Oyo State, Nigeria.
 Weaving, knitting, tie & die, leather works, and beads
works are the only skills being taught to pupils with
visual impairment, though at variance.
 None of the primary schools teach skills on computer
operation
 Not all primary school teachers have interest in the
vocational skills.
 Majority of the teachers recommend adjustment in
content of the skills and the settings where the skills
are being taught.

15. Recommendations
Provision of
Voc.
Training
Workshop in
Schools
Periodic
Exhibition by
Schools
Expansion of
Skills Content
Advocacy on
the need for
Voc. Skills

16.  It has been established that children with
visual impairment can actually live on the
vocational aspect of functional education
later in life provided they are taught the
lucrative ones right from primary school
level.
 This study concludes that all primary school
teachers should show positive interest
towards these vocational skills and should
encourage pupils to learn it provided there
is avenue to market the products.
Conclusion

17. GOD BLESS NIGERIA

18. GOD BLESS NIGERIA