Free SHS: PwDs feel left out – National Centre for Children with Disabilities

Executive Director for the National Centre for Children with Disabilities (NCCD) Paul Anomakodie has called on the government to increase commitment towards ensuring an all-inclusive approach in rolling out of its flagship free Senior High School policy.

Although President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has widened the scope of students benefiting from the Free SHS policy to cover technical and vocational schools, Mr Anomakodie said disabled children and teachers feel left out in the implementation of the Free SHS policy.

Speaking to Class News, he said: “All we need is commitment and I believe that as Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, our president has always been saying, he doesn’t want to leave anybody behind, he wants every child to go to school, so, what we are saying is that, what he’s doing for all students is good but he should also remember that there are certain minority people who also need attention.

“It may not be intentional but if he does not pay attention to children with disabilities, we are being left out in the endless opportunities that other children are having. So I just want to say he should pay attention to children with disability and ensure that we also have equal access to quality education.”

The Free SHS policy is a Government of Ghana initiative introduced by the Nana Akufo-Addo administration in September 2017. The policy had been a major campaign policy prior to the election of Akufo-Addo in 2016. The policy makes secondary education free for all qualified students.