Double-track: Inclusive education not left out – SpeD Director

The Director for Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service, Ms Amina Achiaa has indicated that the Inclusive education will not be left out of the double-track system. She stated that the policy does not exclude children with special needs as some have already been enrolled in the Senior High Schools.

Madam Amina Achiaa said that although they don’t have enough adequate educators and resource persons the system has put in place some measures to help facilitate proper structuring. “they are also involved in the double-track system… we want to bring all on-board so our children with special needs they vision hearing physical challenge… for now they’ve been enrolled in the Senior High Schools… We sent a placement to the CSSPS, that they need to group our children at one cohort because for now …. We don’t have special educators and resource people.”

“we sent a consent note and a suggestion that we need to group them in one cohort, they are not many, for now my student who sat BECE and they were enrolled this year, they are about 395 almost 400 students and they are not many and they can be in one track According to the Director of SPeD, she revealed that “134,837 children have been screened and 24,700 have been referred for further diagnoses.”

Speaking at the stakeholder’s forum held at Ange Hill Hotel in Accra, Wednesday, she indicated that there is a need to bridge the gap between the children with special needs and the regular kids in other to build a nation. “Inclusive Education is another approach of bridging the gap because people of disabilities or special needs are left behind in the community… as a nation if you want to develop we have to look at those behind and pull them along… so as to build the nation.” The Inclusive education policy which was launched in July 2016, is said to have successfully enrolled 18,310 children with special needs in the regular schools. The IE which seem to have recorded slow implementation process has been a hindrance to the development of the policy.



The awareness level about the Inclusive Education policy among the general populace has also recorded low turnout. However Ms Veronica Dzeagu of the National Coordinator, GNECC spoke to www.ghanaweb.com concerning some challenges facing the organization.

“We have challenges with getting materials in the form that is accessible to persons who are blind or disabled because facilities which have been provided by the state have not been maintained over the years.” She however said that follow ups will be made in order to ensure adequate supplies are provided to the children with special needs.