Diversity, inclusion and equity: making a case for the underserved and vulnerable in the Nigerian society

Abstract

Education is the lifeline of the growth and development of a nation. For a nation to achieve exponential growth, its educational sector must be given high priority. In Nigeria, not much priority has been given to formal education in recent decades. Budgetary allocations to education sector over the years has been poor; only 7.2% of the NGN17 trillion budget for 2022 was allocated to education. Although a slight increase to the 5.7 % of the previous year, it is far below the internationally recommended benchmark of 15-20%. Educational provisions for persons with disabilities, the girl child, and the adults are recognised more in principle than in practice. Anecdotal evidence has shown that while there are laws and policies in place to guarantee education for such group of persons, the implementation of these laws and policies have fallen short of expectations. Another challenge of inequality and discrimination is not altogether unconnected to the different perception of education and literacy by the different cultures and ethnic groups. Culture is a way of life of the people; systems and beliefs in particular cultures can affect how education particularly formal education or literacy is accepted. Pedagogical approaches can influence how well learners of this particular groups or the vulnerable can be accommodated and integrated into the learning environment. Though there are many literatures on discrimination of the right of certain categories of persons to education, not many exist on tackling the problem from pedagogical approaches and the place of the library. This article discusses diversity of learners, it identifies the challenges of inequality and discrimination against certain persons in their right to education, and then highlights the possible solution in pedagogical approaches and utilisation of library that could be adopted to allow for inclusion and equity.