The Oyo State Government has distributed free Braille textbooks to visually impaired pupils in 10 special basic schools across the state, reaffirming its commitment to inclusive education and equal access to learning.
The distribution exercise took place at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the Oyo State Agency for Persons with Disabilities, Barr. Ayodele Adekambi, said the initiative was conceived to ensure that visually impaired learners have access to essential educational materials in accessible formats.
According to Adekambi, discussions on producing Braille learning materials for basic school pupils began in 2022 in collaboration with the Directorate of Special Needs and Inclusion. He noted that while Braille textbooks were first distributed to secondary school students with visual impairments in 2024, the production of textbooks specifically for basic school pupils was conceived in 2025 and has now been implemented.
He also stated that Oyo State is the only state in Nigeria investing in the production and free distribution of Braille textbooks for visually impaired learners.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mrs. Bamidele Oyinloye, described textbooks as essential tools for effective teaching and learning. She said visual impairment should not limit any child’s educational opportunities, adding that the Braille textbooks would improve learning outcomes for the beneficiaries.
Oyinloye commended Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration and the Oyo State Agency for Persons with Disabilities for supporting the initiative. She also urged beneficiary schools to make proper use of the books and ensure they are well preserved.
Also speaking, the Acting Director of Special Needs and Inclusion, Mr. Aderemi Suara, said the state had not previously produced Braille textbooks for visually impaired learners before the current administration. He recalled that the government distributed Braille textbooks, teaching aids, and instructional materials to secondary schools with visually impaired students on June 27, 2024, noting that the latest distribution extends the intervention to pupils at the basic education level.
The Braille textbooks were distributed to the following schools:
- Oyo Special Basic School, Durbar, Oyo
- Omoyeni Special Basic School, Orita-Aperin, Ibadan
- H.L.A Special Basic School, Agodi-Gate, Ibadan
- C.A.C. Special Basic School, Oniyanrin, Ibadan
- Special Basic School, Bioku-Alaadun, Ibadan
- Oyo State Special Basic School, Ogbomoso
- L.A. Special Basic School, Okeho
- Special Basic School, Saki
- Special Basic School, Iseyin
- Special Basic School, Eruwa
The textbooks cover subjects including Mathematics, English Language, Basic Science and Technology, Christian Religious Studies, Islamic Religious Studies, Pre-Vocational Studies, National Values, Yoruba Language, and Braille literature storybooks.
The event concluded with a reading from one of the Braille literature storybooks by Miss Tobiloba Funmilayo, a Basic Five pupil of Omoyeni Special Basic School, Orita-Aperin, Ibadan, highlighting the role of accessible learning materials in supporting the education of visually impaired children.
Source: Oyo State Ministry of Information (Press Statement signed by Prince Dotun Oyelade, Commissioner for Information, July 27, 2026).
