Disables want 10% share of oil revenue

Accra, Dec.11, GNA - The Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) has called on government to consider allocating 10 per cent of the country's oil revenue to support education of the disabled.

The GFD has also called for a law to compel corporate bodies to allocate five per cent of their corporate social responsibility fund towards supporting the interest of the disabled.

Mr. Isaac Tuggun, Administrator of the GFD, who made the call at the official launch of The Dawhenya School in Accra said even though the disabled constituted about two million of the country's population, issues concerning their development had not been receiving the needed attention. The Dawhenya School is an eight million Ghana Cedi school complex project being undertaken by the Shiloh Baptist Church at Dawhenya to provide opportunities to both the physically challenged and others to pursue academic and vocational learning from pre-school through senior high level. This integrated institution, according to the church, would also train the head, heart and hands as well as give the deprived a window of opportunity to improve themselves and eventually impact the society at large.

Mr. Tuggun said even though recent government interventions were encouraging, the GFD believed that the allocation of such percentages of revenue would greatly enhance the welfare of the disabled as well as make them independent.

He said the disabled was still discriminated against as the existence of unfriendly facilities at institutions were still rife in the country and thereby limiting the progress of the disabled.

He said even at integrated systems or institutions of learning, officials do not have requisite knowledge on how to handle the special services that the disabled require.

Mr. Tuggun therefore, called for political will and change of mind and attitude to dealing with issues concerning the disabled. Mr. Godwin Addo, National Examinations Officer, Ghana Education Service, called for the setting up of educational endowment funds in villages and towns where resources would be lodged to support the education of the child.

Mr. Addo also called on families to stop spending lavishly on the dead and use the resources to support the education of their children. Mr. Djaba Nyakotey, Pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church and Leader of the Dawhenya School project, said the church instituted the project to help end the deprivation facing the vulnerable in society. Mr. Nyakotey said it was the belief of the church that beneficiaries of its project would be economically empowered to face the challenges of life. He called on corporate bodies to support the church to make the project a reality.

The construction of the facility is expected to be completed by next year. 11 Dec. 09