News
‘More than 2m Ghanaians have varying degrees of disability’
More than 2 million Ghanaians, aged five years and above, have varying degrees of difficulty in performing daily activities, Professor Samuel K. Hayford of the University of Education, Winneba, has disclosed.
He said the figure, pegged at 2,098,138, represented a higher prevalence among females (8.8 per cent) compared to males (6.7 per cent), according to data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
Visual impairment remains the most prevalent form of disability in Ghana, affecting 4.6 per cent of males and 4.0 per cent of females nationwide.
The Professor of Special Education presented the data at the 42nd Annual Workshop in Accra for Heads of Special Schools, on the theme: ‘Inclusive Education in Ghana: The Role of Special Schools.’
He said the GSS 2021 report revealed that 150,000 persons aged five years and above had severe to profound disabilities, including non-expressive communication (17,577), self-neglect (28,598), unintelligible speech (15,196), immobility (33,778), deafness (19,448), and blindness (35,642).
“Five of Ghana’s 16 regions – North East, Bono, Western North, Savannah, and Oti – lacked special education facilities such as special schools or resource and assessment centres,” he noted.
In addition, four districts; Gushegu (59.4 per cent), North Gonja (55.8 per cent), Central Gonja (54.0 per cent), and Karaga (51.9 per cent), had more than half of all children aged five to 15 years who had never been to school.
Prof. Hayford said Ghana’s 2015 Inclusive Education Policy defined inclusive education as “a system that accommodates all learners, irrespective of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic, or other conditions.”
He likened the role of special schools in education to intensive care units in health facilities, indicating that while inclusion was key, there would always be a need for specialised institutions to support learners with profound and pervasive needs.
Prof. Hayford, however, pointed out several implementation challenges, including negative societal attitudes and stigma, gaps in teacher training, limited resources, inadequate teaching materials, assistive technology, and infrastructure deficits.
“Many mainstream schools still lack accessible buildings and facilities, while classrooms are overcrowded, and there are inadequate assessment centres and professionals to identify and support learners with disabilities,” he explained.
To address the gaps, Prof. Hayford proposed increased investment in special schools to enable them to support mainstream schools in meeting the needs of learners with disabilities. —GNA
The Executive Director of DAD Micro-Credit Limited (MCL), Mrs Christiana S. Dzitse-Awuku, has called for urgent and collective action to prevent the recurring loss of lives and destruction caused by flooding during the rainy season.
Reacting to the devastating effects of last Monday’s heavy rainfall in parts of the country, she expressed condolences to families who lost loved ones and sympathised with residents whose homes, businesses and livelihoods were affected.
In a statement signed by Mrs Dzitse-Awuku and copied to The Spectator in Accra on Friday, she said although rainfall was a natural occurrence, the destruction associated with it was largely preventable.
According to her, DAD Micro-Credit Limited provides financial support to owners of small and medium scale enterprises, the majority of whom are women.
She noted that the recent heavy rains have significantly affected these businesses, resulting in many clients losing their capital and facing challenges rebuilding their livelihoods.
She noted that clogged drains, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, poor drainage infrastructure, and buildings constructed on waterways, and disregard for environmental and planning regulations had worsened the impact of heavy rains over the years.
“This is a wake-up call to all of us. The responsibility does not rest solely on government institutions. It is a shared duty,” she stated.
Ms Dzitse-Awuku urged citizens to desist from dumping waste into drains, maintain clean surroundings, and comply with environmental and planning regulations to reduce the risk of flooding.
She also called on the relevant authorities to intensify efforts to desilt drains regularly, remove unauthorised structures obstructing waterways without fear or favour, and strictly enforce city planning laws.
According to her, investing in preventive measures would save lives and reduce the enormous cost of rebuilding communities after disasters.
She appealed to government, local authorities, traditional leaders, civil society organisations and all Ghanaians to work together to build safer, cleaner and more resilient communities.
Ms Dzitse-Awuku stressed that the country must not wait for another rainy season to revisit the same challenges, emphasising that every life lost to flooding was one too many.
She offered prayers for bereaved families and those who had lost their homes and property, expressing hope that the nation would be spared further tragedies.
“The Ghana we develop today will be our safe haven tomorrow,” she stated.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Last week’s heavy rains that got parts of Accra heavily flooded have left residences and offices in difficult situations as they try to gather the remains of their properties.
“Life after the flood has been difficult because we have lost a lot of things; some were also destroyed. We are currently gathering the pieces left but as to whether they would serve any use, we can’t tell for now,” a resident of Adabraka told The Spectator on Wednesday.
Along the North Industrial Area enclave, a number of office structures were flooded with water rising to unimaginable height.
The New Times Corporation (NTC) and other nearby establishments were not spared the flood ordeal as they became receptacles for excess water that were supposed to flow in the choked gutters around.
For workers of the NTC, the days after the flood were ones for cleaning and putting the offices in shape.
Staff had to get documents, furniture and other equipment dried, affecting production on the first day after the flood.
The situation was similar to what was seen in nearby offices where The Spectator visited.
Visits to some communities around ‘Circle’, Alajo, and Kaneshie revealed heaps of rubbish left behind by the flood waters.
In some of the areas, floodwaters have negatively impacted streets, gutters and homes with those areas littered with plastic waste, broken furniture, mud and other debris.
In some of the huge drains, vehicles were seen stuck in heavy mud.
This waste and stagnant pools of water have become a major concern for residents as they generated an unpleasant odour. A number of residents in the affected areas have since called for urgent intervention from local authorities.
Some residents said the waste has still blocked drains, increasing the risk of further flooding should the rains come again.
Others expressed concern that the accumulated rubbish could become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and thereby, expose the communities to diseases such as malaria and cholera.
At the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and Odawna market areas, traders continue to tidy up their stalls and shops.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
