Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa'i, has stressed the need for improved special education in the country.

Speaking during the first national deaf education summit in Ilorin, Kwara State on Wednesday, Rufa'i said deaf education, in particular, needed to be improved upon.

The minister, who was represented by the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said there was the need to re-examine and reposition the education of the deaf in the country to conform to global best practices.

According to her, deaf education is another aspect of education that need attention.

She stated that new strategies for teaching students with hearing impairments needed to be explored and that inclusive programmes needed to be strengthened among other forms of intervention in order to reposition deaf education in the country.

She urged participants at the summit to use the forum to evaluate the current state of deaf education at all levels in the country; identify existing pitfalls in deaf education, proffer ways to overcome them and kick-start the much needed reforms in deaf education.

Rufai said, "The current output of special education with particular reference to deaf education in the country needs to be improved. There is therefore, a serious need to re-examine and reposition the education of deaf people in the country to conform to global best practises, and also to meet the demands of the vast number of citizens of this country who suffer from one form of hearing impairment or the other."

National President, Nigerian National Association of the Deaf, Mr. Suleiman Dagbo, called on the Federal Government to establish schools for the deaf in each of the six geographical zones of the country.

He also appealed that NNAD be made part of the supervisory body on all government spending on education in the Nigeria.