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| Mrs. Omolara Adedugbe |
M.D. School, the first private inclusive zzz school in Lagos, is preparing a grand celebration to mark its 40th anniversary and honour the vision that launched its mission to educate every child.
In a week’s pre-event chat, Mrs. Omolara Adedugbe, the school’s Executive Director, said the milestone recognizes both the founding commitment to inclusive education and four decades of academic and personal achievement.
“This celebration recognizes the courage of our vision and the belief that it could be realized,” she said, adding that the anniversary also honors the endurance, resilience and compassion invested in generations of students. “To God’s glory, I believe we have done well.”
Reflecting on the school’s early challenges, Mrs. Adedugbe noted the tremendous progress made since its founding: M.D. School now operates branches in Oko-Oba and Ifako-Ogba, Lagos. She emphasized that the school’s reputation for empathy and excellence was built through years of dedication and commitment, especially during difficult beginnings.
"It was difficult in the begining. We started with children with hearing impairment. Then, when officials from the ministry of education observed that we were registered as an inclusive school, they encouraged us to bring in regular children. That was how we started, she narrated.
However, to her dismay and so unexpectedly, "immediately we did that, problem started. Many parents didn't want their children to be associated with children with disabilities so, they started withdrawing their children from the school.
"Parents don't want to hear that their children are in a school for children with special needs. They didn't want their children to be associated with children with disability. So there was the problem of stigmatisation from the beginning," she narrated.
However, over the years although mindsets are gradually shifting, she disclosed that the model of the school has also undergone changes. The school now has more of regular children, alongside a programme for the children with special needs.
"So alongside our regular school programme, what we now have is a special plan for these children we call neuro-divergent children, when they come in. We have now adopted a model that is called Individualised Education Programme or plan (IEP), which allows them to learn at their own pace."
According to her, what really gladdens her heart is that in 40 years of its existence, M.D school has succeeded in no small way, in helping to reshape societal mindsets and set agenda for a more compassionate community where diversity is normalised rather than feared.
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