Three-year training programme for visual impaired teachers opens

Accra, May 18, GNA - Mrs Elizabeth Amoah Tetteh, Deputy Minister of Education in-charge of Pre-tertiary Education, on Wednesday, launched a three-year Visual Impairment Teacher Training Project, for 23 selected special education teachers from the 10 Regions in Ghana. The workshop was sponsored by the Visio International of the Netherlands, a centre of expertise for the blind and partially sighted people. It seeks to train, equip and resource mainstream teachers with appropriate knowledge and skills to support children with special needs. Mrs Amoah Tetteh, lauded Ghana for the adoption of 'Inclusion Education', which sought to address the learning needs of people with specific focus on those who were vulnerable to marginalisation and exclusion. She said: 93Inclusive Education stems from the belief that education is a basic human right and the foundation of a just society and no one should be denied of it", she explained. Mrs Amoah Tetteh pledged that the Ministry of Education would provide equitable educational opportunities for all children including those with special needs and disabilities. She noted that Government had formulated a policy that would seek to integrate all children with non-severe special needs into mainstream schools by 2015 and also provide training for all teachers in special education needs. "We are also working on incorporating training of SEN into all Colleges of Education and also establish Special Education Assessment Centres in all districts by 2015," Mrs Amoah Tetteh said.

She said currently, 479 schools in 29 districts in seven Regions were practicing the Inclusive Education policy in the country. Mrs Amoah Tetteh expressed appreciation to the Netherlands Government for its significant strides in the field of Inclusive Education and the desire to equip special education teachers with the same knowledge. "Resource persons from such a country will definitely give the right impetus for the workshop. It will be practical oriented and equip the participants with practical skills to manage children with visual impairment," she Mrs Amoah Tetteh said. Ms Rosemond Blay, Director, Special Education Division of Ghana Education Service (GES), stressed that all children should be sent to school irrespective of their sex, race, religion, language and disability. She noted that the GES sought for assistance for the workshop and commended the development partners for sponsoring three officers of Special Education Division to participate in the Fifth African Forum of the World Blind Union being hosted by Ghana in July 2011.

Ms Petra Wijen, Project Manager, Visio International, Netherlands branch, said the organisation had 19,000 clients with 35 locations across the country including six special schools for the blind and partially sighted learners. She noted that under the project, a group of experienced resource teachers from all the 10 regions would be trained as trainers on different themes related to the work of the visually impaired.