The concept and practice of Inclusive Education in its simplest term is seen as an arrangement of providing opportunity for children with special needs to be part of mainstream educational system. In Ghana the traditional approach has been to provide education to children with disabilities in special schools, thus, such children with disabilities is placed in special schools which are built around the medical model of segregation.

Currently, there are approximately 6,314 of such children with 3,614 being males and 2,700 being females in special basic schools and units throughout the country. These figures should clearly indicate to all of us that more ought to be done in our collective efforts at providing education for children with special needs in the country.

It is important to indicate that the impression is not being created that Inclusive Education (IE) as a concept and practice is being introduced for the first time in Ghana. Indeed, several schools in several districts in various parts of the country have been involved in the implementation of the concept and practice of IE. There is evidence to show that by 2011, 529 schools in 34 districts were implementing the concept and practice of IE in Ghana.

However, the implementation has been taking place in an atmosphere of fragmented and scattered directions, legislations and practices..

Since June 2012 UNICEF has provided financial, logistical and technical support to 14 districts on the implementation of the concept and practice of IE in those districts on pilot basis. The Districts are, Lambussie Karni, Wa East, Wa West, Builsa North, Builsa South, Garu Tempane, Savelugu, Karaga, Kpandai, Komenda, Edina Eguafo, Abirem, Upper Denkyira West, Upper Manya krobo, Kwahu Afram Plains North and Kwahu Afram Plains South.

Three approaches have been adopted which are building capacities, screening and sensitization of the key stakeholders. This has led to the training of over 6500 teachers and school administrators in 998 basic schools. Over 80,000 school children in KG 1 to P3 have been screened and in appropriate cases referred for the necessary assistance and support.

Further, over 3400 key stakeholders have also been sensitized. These include, Traditional authorities, Local political authorities, Parliamentarians through the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, private educational providers, Labour Unions within the pre-tertiary education sector, parents, market women, Transport organizations and civil society organizations throughout the ten Regions of the country.

All the 14 pilot districts have been monitored on the status of implementation of IE using the Inclusive Education Monitoring Tool. We are satisfied with the progress made though we admit there is much more to be done.

For the current academic year, UNICEF has increased its pilot districts to 20 by adding six more districts. They are, Tolon, Upper West Akim, North Dayi, Krachi East, Ga East and Asikuma Odoben Brakwa.  We are indeed grateful to UNICEF for this support.

The Policy we are launching today is a framework that provides a more harmonised and strategic approach to planning, implementing and monitoring IE programmes and activities. The object of the policy is to redefine delivery and management of educational services to respond to the diverse needs of all learners. The policy further seeks to restructure cultures, attitudes and practices in schools and in the communities so that stakeholders can respond to the specific issues of children with special needs.

The Policy objectives are four, namely:

1. Adapting the systems and structures of the current educational system to respond to the needs of all children irrespective of their physical, emotional, psychological and environmental circumstances.
2. Building a friendly school environment that responds to the needs of all children
3. Developing and training a cadre of human resource that are skilled enough to manage the system and
4. Ensuring sustainability of IE implementation.

What is significant is that this policy is complemented with a comprehensive costed Implementation Plan that defines the various processes and approaches towards ensuring effective and successful implementation of the concept and practice of IE.

In addition, a document on Standards and Guidelines which provides guidance to educational institutions and stakeholders in the provision of minimum standards and designs of facilities to promote IE in terms of physical infrastructure, learning equipment and materials as well as curriculum and pedagogy, has also been developed.

The Policy and its accompanying documents seek to create a school environment which is physically safe, emotionally secure and psychologically enabling for all children including those with special needs to fully participate in the educational process.

Probably it would be appropriate to indicate that the Policy has since earned an international award. The Zero Project recognized Ghana’s Inclusive Policy together with its comprehensive Implementation Plan and its monitoring toll as outstanding and exemplary. The award was conferred in February 2016 at the United Nations offices in Vienna, Austria.

The strategy for implementation, for the time being, is to identify children with mild/moderate cases and integrate them in the mainstream educational system while providing them with the required support and assistance. Those with profound/severe cases will continue to receive specialized attention in the Special Schools which will operate as Resource Centres for the mainstream schools.

We look forward to stakeholders playing their respective roles effectively by providing the required leadership by mobilising the relevant agencies of the communities to facilitate the provision of adequate and appropriate infrastructure and logistics to enable the educational system meet the required expectation for effective implementation of the Policy.

Let us be clear that there will be obstacles and difficulties along the road. These should not discourage us rather they should be regarded as challenges that with concerted efforts of all stakeholders, we can overcome.

By Anthony Boateng

*The writer is the Director, Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service