Twelve (12) candidates from the Koforidua School for the Deaf will sit for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination, which begins on Wednesday, June 11.
Koforidua School for the Deaf is a Special Education Institution for the hearing impaired and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Eastern Regional Special Education Coordinator, Azuma Kennedy Kwame, explained that names of candidates with special needs across the region have been submitted to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for appropriate examination arrangements based on their unique needs.
“We compiled both BECE and WASSCE. We sent letters to all district directors to compile list of special needs so we can forward to WAEC so that WAEC can give them reasonable accommodation. We did that this year as well” He said.
Azuma Kennedy Kwame however lamented inadequate inclusive Secondary Educational institutions in the country but says the students with special needs have been guarded about their school selections while efforts underway to bring more schools on board for inclusive education.
Currently,Mampong School for the Deaf established in 1975 in Akuapem North Municipality of the Eastern Region is the only dedicated Senior High Technical School (SHTS) for the Deaf in Ghana.
“It is limited because the whole country we have only one Senior High institution for them at Mampong SECTECH Deaf that is the only Senior High School we have with them. So you can imagine how it is limited so sometimes we actually place most of the deaf in the only school. We also trying to do inclusive Education so we are opening other Senior High schools nearer to them that they could have access and then we post teachers who have done special education “.
Meanwhile, at an Inclusive Education Forum held in Koforidua,the Headmistress of the Koforidua School for the Deaf, Mrs. Joyce Adu Agyemang, lamented the barriers students with disabilities continue to face in accessing quality education and urged policymakers, educational leaders, and stakeholders to fully enforce inclusive education policies developed in 2015, ensuring they are not mere paperwork but actively implemented in schools across the country.
“I propose that Educational leaders, policymakers, and advocates must; Model inclusion in leadership decisions. Fund inclusive initiatives adequately, amplify the voices of persons with disabilities in the creation of education policy, monitor and evaluative progress with transparency with regards to inclusive education practices so far since the implementation of the policy in 2015”.
The headmistress listed some actionable strategies for inclusive education which include “Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Design curriculum from the start to accommodate all learners, differentiated instruction strategies should be employed to cater for all individuals with diverse learning needs.Individualized Education Plans (IEPs): Facilitators should tailor goals and support to each student’s unique strengths and needs.
Teacher Training should equip educators with the skills, empathy, and confidence to embrace diversity.
Peer support and mentorship programme should be encouraged to foster inclusive school cultures where every child belongs”.
She advocated for research into the impact of sign language on academic performance, noting its vital role as a medium of instruction for the Deaf.
“Research should be conducted nationwide to investigate the impact of the use of Sign Language on the academic performance of students who are deaf.This is because Sign Language is the medium of instruction as far as educating the deaf is concerned”.
She stated that,Education authorities must provide and integrate assistive technology to facilitate the teaching and learning of students who are deaf.
Speakers at the forum called for increased investment in special needs education, stressing that inclusive education should be seen as a national development priority.
Fadilatu Ahmed Executive Director, DMAC Foundation said the inclusive Education Forum, organized by Bebia Bɛyɛ Fine Association in collaboration with DMAC Foundation, under the Kofkro Project sponsored by Star Ghana Foundation and funded by Foundation Botnar , was aimed at bringing together stakeholders to bridge gaps in Ghana’s special education sector.
Source: Kojo Ansah
