Officials of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFD) have urged the government to increase efforts in enhancing inclusion in Ghana.
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Knowledge Manager of GFD, Moses Fordjour, in an interview with happyghana.com, revealed that issues raised by Persons with Disability (PWDs) have not received proper attention or solutions for many years despite numerous recommendations.
He highlighted policies aligned with disability inclusion that were outlined by the Mahama-led government in 2015, including the inclusive education policy, which aimed to provide every child with disability, access to quality education in their respective communities.
“The inclusive education policy outlines that every child as a Person with Disability should be able to attend school and attain quality education in the very community they reside in; which means there would not be a need for a ‘special school.'”
Mr. Fordjour, however, lamented the lack of implementation of the policy which he said has severely impacted the education system for children with disabilities. “Many children as PWDs are at home today because schools in their communities lack the orientation and skills to teach these children. If I have a blind child, why can’t my child go to school in our neighborhood but must be taken all the way to a school in Akropong?” he quizzed.
GFD research lead also referenced a policy proposed by President Mahama to cover fees for all first-year university students under his administration. He criticized the lack of focus on inclusive education, saying, “In reading the manifesto of Ghana’s President, he did not mention anything regarding the inclusive education policy but rather this university first-year free schooling policy. It’s good, but if the person does not go to primary school, how would the person get to the university? We need the government to bring their focus to this,” he said.
By: Kobina Baidoo
