M.D School, the first private inclusive school in Lagos, is set to rolls out the drums to honour the legacy of it’s pioneering vision, as it celebrates its 40th anniversary of nurturing young minds to excellence.

Speaking at a pre-event chat during the week, Mrs Omolara Adedugbe, Executive Director of the school, said the celebration of the school’s 40 years  anniversary, is to honour the school’s pioneering vision of inclusive education and the achievement of excellence.

“It is a celebration of it’s  courage, endurance, resilience and deep empathy in nurturing young minds to excellence,” she said.

 Reminiscing on it’s difficult journey from it’s early begining, Mrs AdedugbeSaid the school has achieved so much in 40 years of it’s existence. 

While underlining the courage, commitment and resilience that has gone into building the school’s heritage of compassion, deep empathy and legacy of excellence for which it is now known, she narrated that it was not easy at the beginning.

“It was difficult in the begining,” she recalled.

“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.

” However, 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.

“There was stigmatisation. “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 stigmatisation.” 

 However, over the years although mindsets are gradually shifting, but the model of the school has also changed. The school now has more of  regular children, and a programme for the children with special needs.  

“So what we now have is a special plan for these children we call neuro-divergent children, when they come in. We have and most good schools have also now adopted, what is called Individualised Education Programme or plan  (IEP).” A model ” which allows them to learn at their own pace.”

According to her, what really gladdens her heart is that these past 40 years, 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.