Gbi Special School benefits from GETFund projects

Gbi Special School benefits from GETFund projects

Gbi-Kledjo (V/R), June 1, GNA - Gbi Special School for the Intellectually Disabled near Hohoe is to benefit from development projects that will transform it into a centre of excellence for special needs children. The projects include construction, furnishing and equipping of a kitchen and dining hall, building and furnishing of four-storey block of eight flats and the construction and furnishing of an administration block.

The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) is financing the project. The Rev Gerhardt Charles Gbekle, the Headmaster of the School, told the that the facilities would make the school a one-stop institution to deliver high quality and professionally-driven special education.

He said the kitchen and dining hall would have a state-of-the-art facility for cooking and storage of food.

Rev Gbekle mentioned lack of means of transport as its major challenge as students' routine physiotherapy programmes at the Hohoe Municipal Hospital, a distance of about five kilometres, was usually undertaken in taxis that tended to be inconvenient and expensive.

The Headmaster said additional facilities the school need are classrooms and dormitories, stand-by generator, teaching and learning materials,mattresses, washing machine, playing field and fence wall.

Rev Gbekle appealed to the government to allow management of the school to employ non-teaching staff as only two housemothers are attending to the 100-student population.

He said the school had gone into fruit tree and maize cultivation, snail rearing and raising of livestock.

Rev Gbekle said two students, Ruby Baaku and Divine Tornyeviadzi, won medals at the recently held Special Olympic competition in Kumasi. He said Fidel Manyo acquired a National Vocational Training Institute certificate in Kente weaving in 2009, with others mastering in batik, tie and dye, basic seamstress and Kente weaving.

Rev Gbekle said the school gained autonomy as a unit from the Volta School for the Deaf, in Hohoe, in September 2008 to give holistic development to children with intellectual disability and special needs.

He said its objective is to assist such children to benefit from the provision of the Education Strategic Plan of 2003-2015, courtesy the Ministry of Education.