Support development of children with special needs - Parents urged

Parents have been urged to support the educational and emotional development of children with special needs.

The appeal was made at the 41st Annual Conference of Heads of Special Schools (COHESS) of the Special Education Division (SED) of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in Accra.

The Director of the Special Education Division of the GES, Helena Mensah, said research had shown that active parental involvement in a child’s education led to improved academic performance.

For learners with special needs, she said parents’ involvement helped to bridge the gap between school and home, offering a more cohesive and supportive learning experience.

She said parents possessed an intimate knowledge of their children's strengths, challenges and unique needs, which were invaluable in developing tailored education plans, adding that ”by collaborating with educators, parents ensure that their children receive the specific support they need”.

She urged heads of special schools to prioritise and facilitate parental involvement by recognising parents as essential allies in the education of learners with special needs.

Dubbed: “Empowering minds, enriching lives: The role of parents in special education”, the conference underscored the need for active and effective collaboration between parents and educators to enhance learning outcomes and ensure that students received the support they needed to thrive.

The conference brought together educators, policymakers and advocates to discuss the advancement and challenges in special education.

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Appeal

Addressing the conference, the Chairman of COHESS, Setumte Ametewee, appealed to the government to recruit more of non-teaching staff to support special schools in the country.

He requested for timely disbursement of funds for the upkeep of special needs learners. Mr Ametewee advocated the completion of ongoing projects and the rehabilitation of existing facilities for special education.

He further requested for pickups and buses for special schools and books in braille for visually impaired students. Mr Ametewee commended the

Ministry of Education, the GES and the government for the positive steps taken to improve special needs education and the reforming of teacher education.

Barriers

The Head of Human Resources of the Ayawaso West Municipal Education Service, Doris Owusu, said barriers to parental involvement in special education included time constraints, lack of knowledge and emotional factors. 

To address these challenges, she urged schools, educators and community to offer flexible meeting times and resources, provide training and clear communication to parents, encourage parental participation in decision-making processes, build a supportive and inclusive school culture and facilitate peer support and networking among parents.

Commitment

The Deputy Director-General, Management Services of the GES, Stephen Kwaku Owusu, reaffirmed the GES’ commitment to providing the necessary support to those institutions.

"The work that they are doing is supporting us to pursue our mandate, and our mandate is to include everybody, not even a single child should be left out.”

“That is the mandate of Ghana Education Service, to make sure that every Ghanaian of school age, from age 4 through to 18 or so, is in school, including those with special needs,” he added.