STRENGTHENING SPECIAL LEARNING NEEDS EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN NIGERIA THROUGH TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

The Federal Government of Nigeria has been committed towards the provision of education to her citizenry. The special learning needs education is a very critical area of interest which often appears to be neglected or overshadowed by the greater interest devoted to the conventional system of education. This category of learners no doubt constitutes a very significant proportion of the nation’s population. Hence, any education provision meant for them should be realistic purposeful and functional and in every way qualitative. This paper focused on strengthening of special learning needs education in Nigeria, through total quality management. It recommends a review of the existing educational policy statements on special learning needs education in order to inject total quality management elements into it. More so, the need to ensure active participation of the target groups in issues affecting their education, evolvement and involvement of the beneficiaries who have excelled in life in the quality assurance monitoring team and making every critical stakeholder assume responsibility for the success of this programme were stressed amongst others.