The Northern Regional Branch of the Ghana Blind Union Youth Association (GBUYA) is calling on the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to urgently implement inclusive education in the Northern Region to make education more accessible to children with visual impairments.
In a press release, the GBUYA highlighted the fact that the Northern Region is among the few in Ghana without a dedicated school for the blind.
This forces visually impaired students to travel outside the region to access education, making it significantly more expensive and deterring some parents from sending their children to school.
The GBUYA emphasised that the 1992 Constitution guarantees the right to education for all citizens, including those with visual impairments, and that the lack of inclusive education in the Northern Region presents a significant barrier to this fundamental right.
To address this issue, the Association proposes that the Ministry of Education begin the process of implementing inclusive education by selecting at least two basic schools and one senior high school in the region for integration.
That, the group says, would pave the way for persons with visual impairments to attend these schools.
The GBUYA believes this approach can ultimately lead to the gradual and full implementation of inclusive education in the Northern Region and the country as a whole.
For students with visual impairments to receive quality education in integrated schools, the GBUYA outlined several essential resources that the government must provide:
1. Resource centers
2. Resource persons
3. Accessible educational materials (braille, large print, audio, and digital formats)
4. Braille embossers
5. Customized computers
6. Accessible infrastructure
The Association believes that providing these resources will significantly cater for the diverse learning needs of visually impaired students.
“As an Association that advocates for the rights and interest of Visually Impaired Youth, we firmly believe that inclusive education is crucial in promoting equality and empowering the Visually Impaired to maximize their full potentials,” the GBUYA stated.
The Association is urging the Ministry of Education to take immediate action to address these concerns and demands, ensuring that visually impaired youth in the Northern Region have equal access to quality education.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com