The Center for learning Disabilities Assessment (CLDA), has called on the Minister of Education, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh to as a matter of urgency implement the Inclusive Education Policy which was drawn by the previous government.
The purpose of the Inclusive Education Policy is to bring all students with disabilities into the mainstream education and to abolish the separate school system, to create a system which allows students with all forms of disabilities (physical, visual, intellectual, attention issue, specific learning disabilities, and behavior disorder) to have equal opportunities to perform and achieve as other students without disabilities in one education environment and setting. Above all, it seeks to end the high level of stigmatization, discrimination, physical and psychological torture faced by these students in the general education classroom and at the various separate school.
Although Ghana is a signatory to this International Commitment, the country has since not implemented the policy at the various levels of education.
But in a statement, the Center for learning Disabilities Assessment indicated that until the Inclusive Education Policy is implemented by the government, its move to roll out Free Senior High School next academic year may suffer some setbacks.
“We are aware of the initiatives set out by this government to support the education system which includes the free senior high school education. These initiatives will still suffer when there is no commitment to support students with disabilities.”
The statement noted that in recent times the country has recorded poor showing in both the Senior High And Junior High school levels due to the high prevalence of disabilities among school going children and there was therefore the need address learning disability with urgency.
“The poor performance of some students in the previous West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSEC) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is a result of the high prevalence of disabilities among school going children. The Center is reminding the Minster for Education and its government to have a great interest to support students with learning disabilities, behavior disorder, attention deficit, the physical and visual impaired disabilities students nationwide.”
By: Offei-Akoto Ayeh/a1radioonline.com/Ghana
