“No child must be left behind” — Krubally urges urgent action on education for children with disabilities

By Dawda Baldeh

Principal Magistrate and president of the Gambia Federation of the Disabled, Muhammed Krubally, has called on African governments to transform education for children with disabilities, saying inclusive action is needed to ensure every child can learn and thrive.

Krubally made the appeal on Tuesday at the opening of a two‑day ECOWAS sensitisation programme on assistive devices for children with disabilities, attended by government officials, disability advocates and development partners including representatives from ECOWAS and the Department of Social Welfare. He described the gathering as a historic step towards equity in education.

“This is not just another meeting,” he said, explaining the initiative aims to identify children with disabilities across categories and assess their needs so assistive devices can “transform their learning experience.”

Krubally warned that stigma and misconceptions continue to deny many Gambian children an education and stressed that legal protections must be enforced. Citing the Persons with Disabilities Act 2021 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, he said the rights of children to education are legally guaranteed and must be upheld.

“When children with disabilities are given the tools they need, they can compete equally, access classrooms, and achieve their dreams of education. No child must be left behind,” Krubally said, urging stakeholders to treat the issue with urgency and to develop practical solutions, assistive devices, and support systems.

Representing the ECOWAS commission, Dr Alves A’lmada Jorge, principal programme officer for social affairs, said stigma and discrimination are major barriers to inclusion and called on African leaders to fully implement laws protecting children from discrimination. “Governments must make sure that every child in their countries enjoys all rights,” he said.

Dr Jorge added that the commission has organised awareness activities with government agencies and non‑governmental organisations to promote the protection of persons with disabilities and reaffirmed ECOWAS’s commitment to the initiative. “Providing assistive devices to children with disabilities is not only an invaluable opportunity, it reaffirm our commitment to the provision of Article 9 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities (CRPD),” he said, describing children with disabilities as the most vulnerable and deserving of support to achieve their goals like any other child.