Despite Ghana’s commitment to inclusive education, glaring infrastructure deficits and systemic barriers continue to exclude millions of persons with disabilities from equitable access to education and support services, education experts have warned.
Speaking at the 42nd Annual Workshop for Heads of Special Schools held in Accra, Professor Samuel K. Hayford of the University of Education, Winneba, presented worrying statistics that cast doubt on the efficacy of Ghana’s 2015 Inclusive Education Policy.
He revealed that more than 2 million Ghanaians aged five and above live with varying degrees of difficulty in performing daily activities, with a higher incidence among females (8.8%) than males (6.7%), according to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
Yet, structural support for this demographic remains patchy at best. Prof. Hayford lamented that five regions—North East, Bono, Western North, Savannah, and Oti—still lack special education facilities, including assessment centres and resource units, undermining the country’s stated aim of inclusion.
Regional Disparities and Exclusion from Schooling
The statistics presented further expose deep regional inequalities. In districts such as Gushegu, North Gonja, Central Gonja, and Karaga, over 50% of children aged 5 to 15 have never been to school—a figure that reflects not only poor access to formal education but also the failure to accommodate children with disabilities in mainstream systems.
“We cannot speak of inclusive education when so many districts have no infrastructure to support children with disabilities,” Prof. Hayford said.
Most Common Disabilities and Gaps in Support
The 2021 Population and Housing Census recorded 150,000 persons with severe to profound disabilities, including blindness, deafness, immobility, self-neglect, and speech impairments. Visual impairment remains the most prevalent disability nationwide.
Despite these figures, Prof. Hayford noted that many mainstream schools lack basic infrastructure such as ramps, accessible toilets, or properly trained teachers, leaving children with disabilities on the margins of Ghana’s education system.
He likened the role of special schools to intensive care units in hospitals—vital for supporting students with complex needs even as inclusion efforts continue.
Call for Strategic Investment and Teacher Training
To close the gap between policy and practice, Prof. Hayford called for targeted investment in special schools, not only to improve their services but also to support mainstream institutions with expertise and tools for inclusion.
“Special schools should serve as resource hubs—not isolated silos,” he said, proposing the training of more specialised professionals who can act as mentors and support systems for inclusive practices in regular schools.
He also urged educational leaders to leverage the dashboard developed by the Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to monitor progress and tailor interventions.
GES Urges Shift from Policy to Compassionate Practice
In a speech delivered on his behalf, Professor Ernest Kofi Davis, Director-General of the GES, acknowledged the scale of the challenge and described inclusive education as one of Ghana’s four educational pillars, alongside access, quality, and administration.
“Inclusive education is not just a policy—it is a vision grounded in dignity and equal opportunity,” he said, urging stakeholders to move beyond compliance and embrace “compassionate commitment.”
“Let’s build environments where all children learn and grow together, and where no child is left behind because of a disability.”
