The 2024 Presidential Candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party, NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has given a hint that he has proposed and will champion the recruitment and training of at least 1,000 more special education teachers, training teachers in language and speech therapy as well as occupational and behavioural therapy for the Special Schools in the country.
The move he believes will ensure that more high schools are integrated to provide more access to students with special needs.
Addressing the students and teachers of the Akropong School for the Blind in the Eastern Region, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia explained “As you are also aware, I have proposed and will champion establishing pathways to ensure Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) who complete secondary education and qualify for tertiary”.
Dr Bawumia donated 250 laptops to the visually impaired teachers at the Ghana Education Service and also handed over ICT laboratories to the two blind schools: Akropong School for the Blind and Wa Methodist School for the Blind, respectively.
He added that “it is also refreshing because this aligns with my vision of ensuring that all Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are fully included in all aspects of our lives”.
Dr Bawumia explained that “Between the 2010 and the 2020 census, the number of Persons with Disabilities increased drastically from about 3% of our population or 737,743 to approximately 8% or 2,098,138. This jump, while significant, has not been reflected in the number or percentage of persons with disabilities in our public schools, which is still less than 2% of the student population”.
Dr Bawumia emphasized that Ghana boasts of an Inclusive Education Policy and in May 2022, the Ghana Education Service (GES) launched a manual on Inclusive Education, adding that “This manual, funded by the World Bank and developed by Ghanaian experts, titled “Changing perspectives: Inclusive schools in inclusive communities”, chronicles modern ways of tutoring and attending to the needs of special children”.
He noted that “As a country, we want to put issues of children with special needs on the development agenda and take steps to achieve Sustainable Development Goal Four which is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
Dr Bawumia noted “It is fitting that we launch this innovative ICT Lab and provide equipment to teachers at this school where some 79 years ago this August, the school started. This school has been a pioneer in providing education for the blind and has been a West African giant in educating students with disabilities and I intend to also be the catalyst and champion for a 21st century revolution in special education”.
He said “The ICT Lab we are here to hand over is more than just a room filled with computers. It is a gateway to a world of opportunities, a platform for creativity, and a beacon of hope for students with visual impairments to navigate the digital landscape with confidence and ease. Also significant today, I am informed that 104 teachers are visually impaired in our special and unit schools across the country”.
“With the help of our partners, I will also be distributing special laptops to all 104 visually impaired teachers so that no teacher or student is left behind in our quest for a digital revolution in Ghana,” he added.
The Parliamentary Candidate for Akropong Constituency, Sammi Awuku, also donated 600 Walking Sticks to the School and also promised to contribute his quota to support the educational institutions in the constituency.
-BY Daniel Bampoe