Implement inclusive education to the letter – Ghana government urged
The Government has been urged to implement to the letter the Inclusive Education Policy to ensure no child is left behind.
Inclusive Education is the process of increasing the participation of all students in schools including those with disability.
Mrs Hannah Awadzi, the Executive Director of Special Mothers Project, an Advocacy Organisation, said the implementation of the policy in its entirety was urgent as many children with disability, especially cerebral palsy, were home and not accepted into schools.
She said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra as the world commemorates Cerebral Palsy Day on Wednesday, October 6, on the theme: “Millions of Reasons”.
Mrs Awadzi called for the implementation of existing laws and policies on disability in addition to training professionals and care givers to support families in providing care for children with cerebral palsy (CP).
She urged families raising children with CP to keep hope alive and get together as a community to fight for a common cause.
Ms Mildred Osei Asiamah, the Founder of Impact Care, a Non-Governmental Organisation providing for the needs of children with CP, appealed to the Government to include medical services for the children on the National Health Insurance Scheme.
She said medication for such children were expensive and if government could absorb those expenses it would go a long way to alleviate the burden on families.
Ms Asiamah appealed for trained special teachers to be posted to private special schools on government payroll.
She noted that Cerebral Palsy was a congenial disorder of movement, which was not contagious, and urged society not to stigmatise children with the disorder.
Cerebral Palsy affects more than 17 million people worldwide and the Day is to support families and organisations providing care for children and adults with CP in more than 75 countries.
It seeks to ensure that children and adults with the disorder enjoy the same rights and opportunities as anyone else in society.
CP is a lifelong disability with no known cure.
Source: GNA