Raheem Akingbolu
The Nigerian Institute for Behavioural Science, Education and Care Professionals (NIsBEC), an organization created to uphold the highest standard of competencies and practice of applied behaviour analysis, special education and allied care professionals, has officially flagged off its operations today in Lagos, heralding a new chapter in the advancement of behavioural science, special education, and care practice in Nigeria.
The institute was established to serve as a central body for professionals working in behavioural health, special education, and care services, with the vision of promoting access, transparency, professional development, public awareness and dedication to best practices by care professionals, behaviour specialists, special education teachers, and others. It also seeks to advance knowledge, set standards, and promote ethical and evidence-based practices that improve individual and societal wellbeing.
Speaking during the flag off, a member of the Board of Directors and Trustees of NIsBEC, Dr. Eziafakaku Nwokolo, outlined the institute’s vision to become a hub for innovation and professional development. Dr. Nwokolo noted: “Our goal is to empower practitioners, influence policy, and create a platform for research and knowledge exchange that will transform behavioural science, special education and care in Nigeria”.
Across Nigeria, many individuals with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, learning difficulties and other special educational needs depend on professionals and paraprofessionals for education, therapy, behavioural intervention and daily support. The quality of these services can significantly affect their learning, and families and other stakeholders must be able to trust that the professionals providing these services have undergone the required training and are committed to ethical and evidence-based practice. NIsBEC is therefore created as a regulatory body with a sufficiently unified system for establishing competency standards, verifying training, promoting ethical conduct and maintaining a reliable professional registry across the sector.
A member of the Board of Directors and Trustees at NIsBEC, Mrs. Daisy Jonathan, also stressed the need for strengthening professional standards and certification for care professionals. She echoed the different certification pathways provided by NIsBEC, and commitment to ethical practice by professionals.
“NIsBEC currently provides certification pathways across four broad areas: behavioural science, special education, allied health and care categorized into paraprofessional, professional and advanced professional practice. This certification system will also place strong emphasis on professional competence, integrity, respect, informed consent, confidentiality, safeguarding, collaboration and person-centred practice”.
Those who successfully complete the process will receive their full NIsBEC certification and be entered into the NIsBEC Certificant Registry, a publicly accessible registry for employers, organizations, families and others to verify the certification status of practitioners.
The flag-off brought together professionals in occupational therapy, behavioural specialists, government officials, parents, healthcare providers, educators, and media representatives. Key highlights of interactions with guests also included questions on research and advocacy – a commitment to supporting behavioural research and advocating for policies that strengthen mental health and educational systems; Partnerships and collaborations with schools, hospitals, universities, and care organizations to expand impact nationwide; and Community Engagement initiatives like workshops, outreach initiatives, and awareness campaigns to promote behavioural health and education.
With the flag-off, NIsBEC has firmly demonstrated its commitment to achieving the highest standard of competencies in ABA – applied behaviour analysis and special education, as it continues to offer and maintain a registry of qualified and certified professionals providing special needs services within Nigeria.