As Amazing Talents School, Lagos, celebrated its 17th End of Session Party and Prize Giving Ceremony on July 24th, 2025, Esther Oluku writes that the school is promoting child rights, nurturing a positive sense of self in children, and equipping them with competencies to actively participate in the world of the future by engaging the principles of inclusive teaching and learning

The concept of child rights and its protection stands as the cornerstone of building a future-ready nation. The four basic rights of a child as outlined by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – the right to survival, protection, development, and participation – serve as a moral compass for nations keen on advancing the rights of children around the world. Although the global Convention on the Rights of the Child was reached in 1989, Nigeria’s adoption 14 years later, with the enactment of the Child Rights Act 2003, signalled a bold resolve to protect and defend her children. However, localisation of this Act across all the states of the country remains to be achieved.

This slow adoption and localisation of the Child Rights Act across all the states of the country has led to varying degrees of child rights violations, further exacerbated by factors including insecurity, poverty, socio-cultural norms, child-limiting beliefs, and ignorance, amongst others. By embracing the principles of inclusive teaching and learning, Amazing Talents School, Lagos, is raising awareness on child rights protection while maintaining an unalloyed commitment to advancing these rights through its teaching and learning model.

The mission is simple – “to use the tools of teaching and learning to shape the future and prospects of all children who pass through the institution”.

What is inclusive teaching and learning?

The University of Michigan, quoted by DePaul University, states that “Inclusive teaching involves deliberately cultivating a learning environment where all students are treated equitably, have equal access to learning, and feel valued and supported in their learning. Such teaching attends to social identities and seeks to change the ways systemic inequities shape dynamics in teaching-learning spaces, affect individuals’ experiences of those spaces, and influence course and curriculum design.”

Inclusive teaching and learning prioritise equity in the education system by recognising the unique learning differences of students and providing a platform for students to learn irrespective of these differences. This imbues students with a positive sense of self as they go on their learning journey and even through life.

Inclusive learning is part of a broader global subject – inclusive education – which aims to integrate students, regardless of their physical, social, or psychological differences, into regular schools with the goal of levelling the learning field for all.

Although Nigeria has initiated several policies like the National Policy on Education, 2014; the National Policy on Special Needs Education, 2015; the National Policy on Inclusive Education in Nigeria, 2017; and the Discrimination Against Persons with Disability (Prohibition) Act, 2019 to support the global call for inclusive education, infrastructural bottlenecks and training remain a formidable challenge.

As awareness and understanding grow, the inclusive teaching and learning model holds the potential to help Nigerian schools transition towards full-scale inclusive education.

Amazing Talents model

The Headteacher, Amazing Talents School, Mrs. Akunasha Prisca Ifeyinwa, told THISDAY that by prioritising the principle of child rights, the school is crafting teaching which resonates with the learning needs of individual children while introducing them to global learning tools.

She added that the inclusive teaching model focuses on leveraging the strengths of each child to achieve overall learning objectives.

“By leveraging the three domains of learning – cognitive, affective and psychomotor – we are ensuring that every child achieves the set learning objectives,” she said. “We work with individual children to discover their various learning needs and, in turn, use their strengths in levelling the learning process.”

She explained that the school engages its Creativity Lab to support their psychomotor children through learning, by first helping them build a positive sense of self.

“There are some children with high Intelligence Quotient; before you speak, they understand. There are some whose intelligence quotient is not as high. Some children learn through repetition. Some learn through psychomotor (the use of the hands). There are some who are faster in psychomotor learning than in cognitive learning.

“The school works in line with the global learning trend to give children the opportunity to explore their various gifts and talents while also exposing them to digital learning tools like computer-based assessments and the use of Artificial Intelligence. Our children are also exposed to extracurricular engagements in areas of art, clothing and textile craft, taekwondo, music, and public speaking, amongst others,” she added.

On his part, the Proprietor of the school, Mr. Eddy Odivwri, stated that the inclusive teaching and learning model has delivered increased impact on the students beyond their academic pursuit.

Odivwri explained that by embracing the inclusive teaching and learning model, children build a healthy and positive sense of self, develop healthy social habits, have the opportunity to learn new things from their peers, and are inspired to achieve greatness in their academics and personal lives.

He noted that alternative teaching models which segregate children into sections based on their intelligence quotient do not help the self-esteem of the child.

“Growing up, the best children were assigned to the A class, the better children were in the B class and it trickles down like that. Children who are placed in the D class already have their self-esteem lowered. So we don’t do that here. That provides some intellectual discrimination which I think is discouraging.

“There is a mix. Our solution is inclusive teaching and learning. We pay more attention. That is the function of educational psychology. Having known the learning shortcomings of a child, we pay more attention to those areas. One has to understand the psychology of the child, the strengths and weaknesses of that child and programme the learning content to ensure that the child is able to meet up. Our teachers are trained to detect that,” he said.

Strengthening child rights protection

By creating an environment where children are given equal educational and social opportunities based on their unique learning styles, the school is building a platform for children to actively participate in society, confidently express themselves, and have the right blend of skills to contribute their quota to the world.

Odivwri said: “We give children the room to be expressive. Of course, all of these must be done within the ambits of moral uprightness. Our mission is to ensure that the child is fully equipped cognitively and morally such that if he has anything to say, he should be able to say it, and if the child does or says something that is wrong, we would correct them.

“We also do not tolerate bullying. We have had some tendencies like that in the college but we have also dealt with it decisively in a way that it sends enough signals to those who have these same tendencies. They know that it is not tolerated here at all. No bullying. If a child goes out of line, they get the punishment for it.

“Our programme encapsulates cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning. That is why we also do clubbing, which is not exactly intellectual. Those who have the capacity for other things like singing, dancing, acting, and craft, we give them room to do that.”

Children, parents speak on impact of the school’s teaching and learning model

A graduand from the primary school section, Ilerioluwa Ojo, who spoke with THISDAY on how the school has made a positive impact on her life and academics, said: “It feels wonderful and at the same time sad to be a graduand today. I’m excited about the new phase. Coming to this school has made me streetwise. I have improved on myself. This school has made me a confident person and has taught me self-discipline.”

Ilerioluwa’s father, Mr. Moses Ojo, corroborating his daughter’s remarks, expressed confidence in the school’s teaching and learning model.

“The experience we’ve had from the school has been fantastic. Not just for my daughter, Ilerioluwa, but also from her siblings. Her elder sister graduated from this school and two of her siblings are also in this school. The school’s teaching model has put to bed the unalloyed commitment of the school’s management to advancing children’s well-being.

“Ilerioluwa has become more expressive in terms of putting her thoughts and emotions into words and, in terms of discipline, she takes correction. Intellectually too, her ability to grasp ideas outside the confines of the classroom has also been enhanced.

“We’ve never had any negative feedback (in terms of rights violation) and if there were, it was basically misinformation which was swiftly resolved.”

Another student, Oru David, stated that the training from the school has imbued him with the confidence for the future. In his words: “The school has changed me and has made me bold enough to face my fears. I can now speak before a crowd.”

Towards a more inclusive society for all

Amazing Talents School’s commitment to inclusive teaching and learning serves as a beacon of hope for child rights protection and education in Nigeria. By prioritising individual needs, fostering a positive sense of self, and promoting social awareness, the school empowers students to become confident, expressive, and well-rounded individuals. As Nigeria continues to navigate the complexities of inclusive education, Amazing Talents School’s model offers a promising approach to shaping the future of its children and building a more inclusive society.

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