Accra: More than two million Ghanaians, aged five years and above, have varying degrees of difficulty in performing daily activities, Professor Samuel K. Hayford of the University of Education, Winneba, has disclosed. He revealed that this figure, which stands at 2,098,138, shows a higher prevalence among females (8.8 per cent) compared to males (6.7 per cent), according to data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
According to Ghana News Agency, visual impairment remains the most prevalent form of disability in Ghana, affecting 4.6 per cent of males and 4.0 per cent of females nationwide. The Professor of Special Education presented this data at the 42nd Annual Workshop in Accra for Heads of Special Schools, themed ‘Inclusive Education in Ghana: The Role of Special Schools.’
He shared that the GSS 2021 report uncovered that 150,000 persons aged five years and above had severe to profound disabilities, which include non-expressive communication (17,577), self-neglect (28,598), unintelligible speech (15,196), immobility (33,778), deafness (19,448), and blindness (35,642).
Prof. Hayford noted that five of Ghana’s 16 regions – North East, Bono, Western North, Savannah, and Oti – lacked special education facilities such as special schools or resource and assessment centres. Additionally, four districts; Gushegu (59.4 per cent), North Gonja (55.8 per cent), Central Gonja (54.0 per cent), and Karaga (51.9 per cent), had more than half of all children aged five to 15 years who had never been to school.
He explained that Ghana’s 2015 Inclusive Education Policy defines inclusive education as ‘a system that accommodates all learners, irrespective of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic, or other conditions.’ He compared the role of special schools in education to intensive care units in health facilities, stressing that while inclusion is essential, specialised institutions will always be needed to support learners with profound and pervasive needs.
Prof. Hayford highlighted several implementation challenges, including negative societal attitudes and stigma, gaps in teacher training, limited resources, and deficits in teaching materials, assistive technology, and infrastructure. He pointed out that many mainstream schools still lack accessible buildings and facilities, with overcrowded classrooms and inadequate assessment centres and professionals to identify and support learners with disabilities.
To bridge these gaps, Prof. Hayford proposed increased investment in special schools to enable them to support mainstream schools in meeting the needs of learners with disabilities. He advocated for the training of more professionals within the education sector to serve as resource persons and mentors for inclusive practices and encouraged parents and communities to actively promote awareness and reduce stigma.
He called on Heads of Special Schools to collect data on disability prevalence and outcomes of inclusive practices and to effectively utilise the dashboard developed by the Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service to achieve the desired outcomes.
Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, Director-General of the GES, in a speech delivered on his behalf, described inclusive education as one of the four pillars of education in Ghana, alongside quality, access, and administration. He stated that inclusive education is not merely a policy but a vision rooted in human dignity and the principle of equal opportunity for all.
Prof. Davis emphasised that physical differences should be seen as assets that enrich the learning experience, rather than obstacles. He asserted that inclusive educational environments improve academic performance and enhance social development, urging Heads of Special Schools to be change agents who promote adaptive technology and accessible infrastructure.
‘We must move from mere compliance to compassionate commitment. Inclusion is not a trend; it is a movement,’ he declared. ‘Let us create an environment where all children learn together and grow into adults who uplift one another.’