Special needs boarding schools in Osun State have remained shut to students following a funding crisis that the state government says has prevented it from providing boarding, feeding and other essential welfare services, PWDSpotlight reports
The Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole, disclosed the situation on Wednesday, October 7, during a visit to the School for the Handicapped in Osogbo. He attributed the delayed resumption to the alleged withholding of local government allocations by the Federal Government and the freezing of state government accounts over a debt dispute involving a contractor.
According to Eluwole, the state operates 10 special needs boarding schools where students receive free accommodation and meals. He said funding for their feeding and welfare had been affected by the non-release of local government allocations, which the state government says have been withheld since early 2025.
The commissioner also linked the financial difficulties to a court-related restriction on state government accounts following a contractor’s claim over debts allegedly incurred by a previous administration.
Eluwole said the government was reluctant to recall students without adequate arrangements for their basic needs, particularly food and accommodation. He added that teachers had continued to report for duty and would help students recover lost academic time when normal activities resumed. However, he did not announce a definite reopening date.
Students face prolonged disruption
The delay has kept students at home even as academic activities continue elsewhere in the state. A report published by InsightLinks on October 10 said nine of the 10 special needs schools had not resumed for the 2026/2027 academic session, several weeks after the expected resumption period.
The report also documented concerns among parents and disability-sector stakeholders about the consequences of the prolonged closure, including the risk that students could lose motivation to return to school.
For children who depend on specialised educational support and residential care, the disruption extends beyond missed classroom lessons. Boarding schools can provide structured learning environments, accessible accommodation, meals and daily support tailored to students’ needs.
When these services are interrupted, children may face additional difficulties maintaining learning routines, accessing specialised assistance and participating in school-based social activities. Families may also have to shoulder additional caregiving and transportation responsibilities, particularly where suitable educational alternatives are unavailable.
The extent of these effects on individual students has not been independently established, but the prolonged interruption raises legitimate concerns about educational continuity and the welfare of affected children.
Local government funding dispute deepens
The education crisis is unfolding against the backdrop of a wider dispute over statutory allocations to Osun State’s 30 local government areas.
On December 5, 2025, the Supreme Court struck out a suit filed by the Osun State Attorney-General against the Federal Government over the withheld local government funds. The court held that the state Attorney-General lacked the legal standing to institute the action on behalf of the councils. However, reports of the judgment said the court also faulted the withholding of the funds and stressed the need for allocations to be paid directly to the appropriate local government accounts.
The dispute has continued to affect the state’s relations with federal authorities over the control and release of local government funds. In September 2026, The Guardian reported, based on a review of official revenue-sharing data, that approximately ₦216 billion earmarked for Osun’s 30 local councils had been withheld between March 2025 and June 2026.
The figure relates to local government allocations, not money specifically budgeted for special needs education. The precise amount required to reopen the schools, and the proportion of their operating costs directly affected by the funding dispute, have not been publicly established in the reports reviewed.
The funding disagreement provides important context for the government’s explanation, but it does not, by itself, establish the full circumstances behind the schools’ closure or resolve questions about the state’s responsibility to protect students’ access to education.
Disability rights and the state’s obligations
The closure also raises questions about the implementation of disability rights protections in Osun State.
Section 18 of the Osun State Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Law, 2023, has been cited in local reporting as guaranteeing persons with disabilities access to education without discrimination or segregation, including free education up to secondary school level.
The provision is relevant to the current situation because access to education involves more than the formal availability of a school building. For boarding students who rely on accommodation, feeding and disability-related support, these services can be essential to meaningful participation in education.
The disruption therefore calls for a response that addresses both the immediate welfare needs of students and the longer-term continuity of their education. The state government needs to clarify what interim arrangements, if any, are available to affected families while the financial and legal disputes remain unresolved.
This does not automatically establish that the closure constitutes a legal violation; that conclusion would require a fuller assessment of the applicable law, the circumstances of the affected students and the steps taken by the authorities.
Calls for a clear reopening plan
The absence of a firm reopening date leaves families uncertain about when their children will return to school. It also makes it difficult to assess how much teaching time has been lost and what measures will be introduced to help students catch up.
The state government has appealed to the Federal Government to release the disputed allocations, arguing that the funds are necessary to restore services at the schools. However, the immediate needs of children with disabilities require clear communication and practical measures while the dispute continues.
The Federal Government and the relevant local government authorities should, within their respective responsibilities, provide clarity on the outstanding allocations and the steps being taken to resolve the dispute.
For children with disabilities, a prolonged interruption to education is not simply an administrative inconvenience. It affects their access to learning, support and participation in school life. Resolving the funding dispute is important, but so is ensuring that students do not remain indefinitely outside the classroom while governments contest responsibility for the resources they need.
