A Deputy Director of the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council, Dennis Menance Bayuo, has encouraged NGOs as well as public spirited individuals and other entities to support special schools in the Region.
He indicated that the support will go a long way to supplement government’s efforts to equip the special schools to enable them to give of their best.
Mr Bayuo pointed out that everyone can suffer disability within a twinkle of an eye and urged the public not to discriminate against “our unfortunate brothers and sisters who are differently abled”.
The Deputy Director made the appeal at the inauguration of Disability Talent Clubs of Wa School for the Blind and Wa School for the Deaf in Wa.
GBC’s Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo reports that Mr. Bayuo who stood in for the Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih expressed appreciation to Plan International Ghana and other development partners for the numerous interventions they have brought so far to the people of the Region.
Mr Beyuo made a special mention of Plan International Ghana for its drive in the formation and resourcing of the two Disability Talent Clubs. He noted: “We will forever be grateful to plan Ghana for taking the initiative to bring hope to the less privileged by creating the opportunity for the children of the Wa School for the Blind and Wa School for the Deaf for them to exhibit their God given talents.”
Touching on resourcing the disabled graduate to generate sustainable income to be self reliant, Mr Bayuo stressed the need for graduates of special schools to utilise the varied opportunities open to them through Business Resource Centres and Business Advisory Centres as well as the newly launched Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) formerly known as National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI).
The Upper West Regional Special Education Coordinator, Timothy Abugri, stated that until the introduction of inclusive education in about a decade ago, most children with disabilities in Ghana were placed in special schools for education.
He stated that even though government is putting much effort to successfully implement the policy of inclusive education in Ghana, the segregated special school systems still exist and play a pivotal role in the education of children with disabilities in Ghana.
Mr Abugri who deputised for the Regional Director of Education, Abdul-Korah Razak emphasised the necessity for special schools to be resourced to maximise students’ academic performance.
He, however, said, scarcity of resources has made it impossible for government to adequately resource special schools and also implement the inclusive education policy successfully in regular schools.
The Upper West Program Unit Manager of Plan International Ghana, Eric Ayaaba, in a message observed that inclusive education is an educational strategic commitment to get every child irrespective of his or her geographic location to enroll in school.
A staff of Plan International Ghana, Ms. Dorothy Luri, who represented Mr. Ayaaba, indicated that Upper West Program Unit of her organisation has been working closely with the Ghana Education Service in five Districts/Municipalities in Upper West to improve formal education at the basic level through the provision of school supplies, sensitisation and capacity building of various stakeholders.
The areas are: Wa West, Wa East and Sissala West Districts as well as Wa and Sissala East Municipalities. Ms Luri added that special schools have equally been part of of their programs.
She announced that last year for instance, St. Don Bosco Special School, Wa School for the Blind and Wa School for the Deaf were supplied with teaching and learning materials.
The Project Coordinator of an NGO, Necessary Aid Alliance, Miss Sandra Anapaga Ayeebo, made a presentation on “Inclusive Education in the Upper West Region”.
She observed, “inclusivity hold key values such as diversity and portrays individual’s inalienable rights to education but acknowledging that every child has unique abilities and needs to function properly and unearth their potentials for the larger benefits of society.”
Miss Ayeebo stated that there are a number of challenges that inhibit the performance of students with special needs studying in mainstream schools that need urgent attention from the government in order to improve the state of inclusive education in Ghana.
The challenges include, inadequate teaching and learning materials such as recorders, Braille, headsets, optical devices, tactile symbols, audio books, magnifiers, perking bridlers, embossers which are critical learning materials for students with visual impairment in mainstream schools.
The Project Coordinator of Necessary Aid Alliance pointed out that in the whole Upper West, students with visual impairment can only access Senior High education at the Wa Senior High as a mainstream school.
Miss Ayeebo therefore stressed the need for more mainstream schools to be furnished with the relevant infrastructure to handle special students.
Lack of awareness creation and general apathy among stakeholders towards inclusive education has led to heightened discrimination and marginalisation of students with special needs.
The disability talent clubs from the Wa School for the Blind and Wa School for the Deaf put up fantastic dance performances to spice up the occasion.
They equally exhibited their craft works, drawings and paintings as well as pastries. It was exciting watching the visually impaired display dexterity and craftsmanship on the pieces they were working on at the event.
Story filed by Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo.
