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Lead discourse against negative perceptions affecting children with disabilities …Journalists told
The media have been urged to take the lead in changing negative perceptions about persons with disabilities and ensuring that children with disabilities are not excluded from Ghana’s education system.
The Country Representative of Chance for Childhood, a non-governmental organisation, Mr Richard Opoku, said journalists had the power either to deepen the stigma surrounding disability or use their platforms to challenge discriminatory attitudes and promote the rights, dignity and abilities of persons with disabilities.
Mr Opoku made the call at a media engagement on inclusive education in Accra last Tuesday, organised to strengthen journalists’ understanding of disability and encourage more responsible reporting on issues affecting children with disabilities.
He said inclusive education could not be achieved by schools and teachers alone, but required a collective effort by government, civil society organisations, development partners, corporate institutions and the media.
Mr Opoku explained that despite the introduction of the Inclusive Education Policy in 2015 by the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES), inadequate funding continued to undermine efforts to ensure that children with disabilities received quality education alongside their peers.
He, therefore, appealed to the government to increase budgetary allocation for inclusive education from less than one per cent of the education budget to at least two per cent.
According to him, increased funding would provide the resources needed for continuous teacher training and the provision of appropriate teaching and learning materials to meet the diverse needs of children with disabilities and other special educational needs.
Mr Opoku also called for better motivation and continuous capacity building for teachers who worked with children with disabilities.
“Government, NGOs, civil society, corporate organisations and the media all have a role to play in supporting the teachers and advancing inclusive education,” he said.
The Vice President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and Coordinator of the engagement, Madam Rebecca Ekpe, also called for the formation of a team of journalists dedicated to championing inclusive education and sustaining public discourse on disability issues.
She said the initiative was necessary to ensure that the rights, needs and challenges of children with disabilities remained on the national agenda.
Madam Ekpe stressed the need for continuous training for journalists, saying it was important for media practitioners to deepen their understanding of disability and develop the skills required to report on such issues accurately and responsibly.
She urged journalists to use their platforms not only to inform the public but also to challenge harmful social practices, educate communities and promote positive social change.
The engagement formed part of efforts to equip the media with the knowledge needed to promote inclusive education and contribute to building a society in which children with disabilities could participate fully in mainstream education.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
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GES directs Ashanti Regional, Obuasi Municipal Education Directors to step aside over Obuasi SHTS scandal
The Management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Dr. William Amankrah Appiah, and the Obuasi Municipal Director of Education, Mr. Kwamena Owusu-Nketiah, to step aside with immediate effect.
The directive forms part of ongoing investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct involving the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Mr. Zakaria Abdulai.
According to GES, the decision is intended to ensure that the investigations proceed without potential interference, nor the perception of it.
The two directors are to hand over their offices and all state property in their possession to the Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr. Thomas Kwame Boateng.
Management added that the headmaster, Mr. Zakaria Abdulai, also remains interdicted and therefore urged the public to ignore any news circulating that he has been cleared.
Management is calling for calm, support and cooperation as thorough investigations into the matter continue.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has joined the family of the late Professor Jason Atta Kwei Arday, the Ghanaian community in the UK, and other dignitaries for a memorial service in Southwark, UK.
In a post, Mr. Ablakwa described the service as deeply moving and unforgettable, held in honour of the late professor’s memory.
According to him, in keeping with the government’s pledge, he joined the family, Ghana’s High Commissioner to London, British MPs, Ministers, the Mayor of London, Cambridge scholars, Prof. Arday’s students and loved ones to pay respects and honour his inspiring legacy.
Mr. Ablakwa noted that Prof. Arday’s accomplishments as the youngest Black professor appointed at the University of Cambridge and his widely appreciated charitable contributions will continue to inspire generations.
“The Government and People of Ghana will continue to stand by our compatriots everywhere they are in the world. As we do so, we profess our commitment to justice, equality and the creation of a new world,” he said.
He prayed for fortitude for the family in what he described as an extraordinarily difficult time.
“We shall always remember Prof. Arday for his response when asked what he will wish to do to change the world: ‘I would take a thread and a needle, and I’d interweave love into our society’,” Mr. Ablakwa added.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
