Ghana launches inclusive education policy framework
Ghana has successfully launched a national inclusive education (IE) policy framework to address the educational challenges encountered by children with special needs.
Advertisement
The 45-page document clearly stipulates how children with special needs ought to be handled in the various communities in which they live for them to realise their full potential, as far as their education is concerned.
It also spells out the objectives and strategies and techniques which will be used to achieve the needed outcomes to ensure an equitable society for all children.
Inclusive education is the type that creates an equal environment for all children, including those with special needs as well as those with disabilities.
The policy framework also seeks to create the enabling learning environments that are responsive to all learners’ needs, as well as ensure an equitable society for children with special needs.
Launch
The document was launched at a ceremony by the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Jacob Aaworb-Nang Maabobr Kor in Accra on Tuesday.
In his address, Mr Kor described the policy as timely, noting that it employed a conducive learning environment and equality for all children in the country.
Expatiating on the objectives of the policy, he stated that “it will improve and adapt education and related systems and structures to ensure the inclusion of all learners, particularly those with special educational needs.”
He explained that the policy had also stipulated the need for the establishment of infrastructure and the provision of adequate tools that would enhance the learning abilities of children with special needs.
Education for all
In a speech read on her behalf, the Minister of Education, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, said the government was committed to the provision of quality education for all children in the country, and stressed, “Education is a fundamental human right of all persons, including children with disabilities and special needs”.
Prof. Opoku Agyemang indicated that various governments over the years had done their part by exploring various avenues that would enhance inclusive education in the country, explaining that, the framework would go a long way to provide a suitable platform that would enhance competition among all children, the physically challenged and those without challenges.
“The needs of children should be addressed in a collaborative manner by governments and stakeholders,” she added.
The Deputy Representative of the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF), Ms Rushnan Murtaza, lauded the government of Ghana for the launch of the framework.
According to her, it was a step in the right direction towards ensuring an equitable society for all children.