A pilot programme to implement the policy of building the capacity of teachers in public schools to effectively teach students with special needs alongside regular students has commenced.
The inclusive policy is part of a strategic path for the education of all children with special educational needs and is based on sections of the 1992 Constitution, the National Development Agenda, the Education Strategic Plan and International Commitments.
All are targeted as achieving national as well as international goals for creating an environment for addressing the diverse educational needs of Ghanaians.
It is being implemented by the Shout Africa Foundation (SAF) and its affiliate, Future of Ghana-Germany, who has partnered the Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES), through the Ministry of Education.
The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Adutwum, lauded the initiative and commended the foundation for the work they were doing.
"I am overwhelmed to see an NGO picking up such a challenge to improve our educational sector for good. We hope this partnership will go a long way to improve upon our educational system now and for the future. We are indeed grateful to Shout Africa Foundation".
The President of Shout Africa Foundation, Mr Jimmy Eko-Acquah, said the purpose of the project which would commence officially on October 3, 2021, was meant to improve standards, curricula and a focus on teacher development in the country.
He said his organisation believed in the educational system of the country and expressed the hope that it would improve the standards of schools to accommodate students with special educational needs.
Appeal
The President of Future Ghana-Germany, Mr Tanja Scheffler, appealed to corporate bodies and philanthropists to support the Education Ministry to promote inclusive education.
That, he explained, was necessary because some teachers and guardians lacked awareness and information about how to handle children with some disabilities, making them vulnerable to discrimination.
"I think the time has come to create more awareness, information and patronage of the subject of disability and inclusion in our societies. We need to work hard to erase discrimination among others moving forward," he said.
The programme is sponsored by GIZ-CIM in Ghana and will involve professional trainers from both Ghana and Germany who will share knowledge and build a professional training manual.
According to the timetable for the pilot project, there will be interaction and training of teachers in Ghana from October 4 to 8 and inclusive awareness festival on October 9, 2021. October 11, 2021 to April 4, 2022 will be for monitoring and evaluation. The team will also be visiting teachers in their schools to see their input.
Source: graphiconline.com
| Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
