Main Article Content
The Education of Children with Special Needs in Ghana: Policies, Assessment and Teacher Training
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to describe the state-of-the-art of the education of children with special needs in Ghana with special reference to policies, assessment and teacher training.
The study, therefore, was a purposive descriptive sample survey. Data for the study were collected using questionnaires and interview schedules at the University of Cape Coast, the National Assessment Centre and three special schools among others. Interviews were also held with major stakeholders including the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service and Directors of Special Education and Teacher Education. Relevant documents were also reviewed.
The results indicate that some policies have been put in place in the country regarding the education of special needs children. The main facilities that exist for children with special needs are in the areas of visual impairment, hearing impairment and mental retardation. No special facilities or services exist for the gifted, the learning disabled, and the behaviour disordered, and so on. It came to light that the National Assessment Centre has inadequate number of staff and lacks some important equipment and items to facilitate its work. A significant number of teachers of children with special needs in Ghana is non-specialist and/or untrained.
The findings have implications for policy and practice for educating children with special needs in Ghana.
(IFE Psychologia (2002) 10(2), 149-174)
The study, therefore, was a purposive descriptive sample survey. Data for the study were collected using questionnaires and interview schedules at the University of Cape Coast, the National Assessment Centre and three special schools among others. Interviews were also held with major stakeholders including the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service and Directors of Special Education and Teacher Education. Relevant documents were also reviewed.
The results indicate that some policies have been put in place in the country regarding the education of special needs children. The main facilities that exist for children with special needs are in the areas of visual impairment, hearing impairment and mental retardation. No special facilities or services exist for the gifted, the learning disabled, and the behaviour disordered, and so on. It came to light that the National Assessment Centre has inadequate number of staff and lacks some important equipment and items to facilitate its work. A significant number of teachers of children with special needs in Ghana is non-specialist and/or untrained.
The findings have implications for policy and practice for educating children with special needs in Ghana.
(IFE Psychologia (2002) 10(2), 149-174)
