SPED Holds Stakeholders Forum
Department of Special Education (SPED) under the Faculty of Educational Studies (FES), has organised a forum for its stakeholders (Ghana National Association of the Deaf, Ghana Blind Union, Special Education Division, and the Ghana Education Service-GES) at the FES, North Campus.
The Forum under the theme, “Inclusion of the Deaf in Senior High/ Technical Schools in Ghana and Technology for learners with disabilities” was aimed at discussing issues on the benefits of inclusion in the country.
The Dean, Faculty of Educational Studies, Professor Samuel K. Hayford, expressed appreciation to the Management of the University for allowing the Faculty to host such a programme. He expounded that purpose of the forum was to demonstrate the action to fulfilling a key mission that is enshrined in the UN standard rules for the equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Prof. Hayford said that the University is set up for a purpose of producing recognised teachers who can operate at all levels of education in the country.
Dean, FES, Professor Samuel K. Hayford
“It has been a dream, to engage our stakeholders and to make the department relevant to the Ministry and Ghana Education Service; a dream to connect with our end-users of the product we create at the University”, he averred.
The Head of Department (HOD), Special Education, UEW, Dr. Daniel S. Q. Dogbe, who chaired the occasion appealed to the University, Management of Special Education Division (SPED)- GES and government to include people with hearing impaired from the primary to the SHS levels because one school is not enough to serve the inclusion population.
The government must support the idea so that many of the students with hearing impairments or deafness will be included to move the education for all agenda forward.
Dr. Daniel S. Q. Dogbe
“It is no hidden secret that in Ghana we have only one school that trains our children with hearing impairment at the secondary level and that is the Mampong Secondary Technical School, which is woefully inadequate. We have both an academic and political agenda to achieve, and that’s how we should think of including our brothers who are hearing impaired and hard of hearing from the primary school to the SHS levels”, He averred.
The Forum allowed participants to put across their comments, suggestions, questions which were duly addressed.
Other dignitaries present were, the Director for Special Education, GES, Mrs. Bernice Adu Addai; Executive Director of the Ghana Blind Union, Dr. Peter Obeng Asamoah, Executive Director, Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), Juventus Duorinaah, and other members of staff.
