The deaf lament their plight .. call for more government support

Koforidua (Eastern Region), 31st May 99 -

Only one deaf student has been able to secure admission into a Teacher Training College since the first school for the deaf was established in the country in 1958.

Almost all the other 120 pupils who graduated annually from the country's 12 basic deaf schools either returned to their families for their livelihood or enter into the street to beg for alms due to lack of opportunities to further their education at the tertiary levels.

The General Secretary of the Ghana Society for the Deaf, Mr George O. Tetteh disclosed this at a meeting with the Eastern Regional branch of the society yesterday.

Though Ghana was the first African country to establish school for the deaf, it is the worst in providing opportunities for the deaf to attain higher levels of education to develop their full potential, Mr Tetteh said.

He said lack of effective teaching and learning materials, coupled with the use of the voice to teach deaf pupils had rendered them incapable of progressing on the academic ladder.

The General Secretary said that though Ghana does not have data on the number of deaf persons in the country, some international reports estimated it to be around 100,000, of which about 40,000 are of school going age.

He urged that deaf children be assisted to gain accessto education and also find ways of generating employment.

The regional chairman of the society, Dr Adolph Appiah, called on the Unit committees to provide the society with the information on deaf persons in their communities to enable it obtain assistance for them.

He called on the members to come out with ideas that could influence the government to address the problems facing deaf persons in the country.