A two-day second policy dialogue on education organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is currently ongoing in Accra.
The policy dialogue aimed at identifying and agreeing on gaps affecting the meaningful development of innovative pedagogies implementation and action plan.
The workshop brought together stakeholders from the national, school community and classroom levels to have a platform to discuss the findings and identify gaps in inclusive, engaging and adaptive (IEA) pedagogies application in schools.
It was also to present findings from desktop review during the first policy dialogue held in April this year, while offering an opportunity to co-create an action plan for implementation.
Speaking at the workshop the Director General, Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) at the University of Cape Coast(UCC),Dr Michael Boakye-Yiadom,noted that there appears to be misunderstanding and inadequate knowledge about the characteristics of disabled learners.
According to him, it had been assumed that many teachers have a good idea of who they are, how they operate and how to support them.
He said his outfit had realised that data on differently abled children was limited and noted that we need commitment from teachers, community, schools and church leaders as well as parents.
“It was an all hands on deck approach that we are calling for, we all have a role play, and these are our children,” he added.
DrBoakye-Yiadom said children who are differently abled should be supported to be successful in the country.
According to DrBoakye-Yiadom there were policies in the educational system which support children with disabilities but said there were challenges with their implementation.
He explained that when it comes to the implementation of these policies, there were a lot of gaps because some of the implementers have limited knowledge on what was expected of them.
He said with inclusive education, the transformation should be inclusive, equitable and cover everyone including children with disabilities.
DrBoakye-Yiadom therefore called for commitment at all levels of education in the support of children with disabilities.
Prof. Rosemary Bosu of the Education Commission said the “Action area 2 of the Save Our Future white paper” strives to seek educational equity for all students including girls, children with disabilities, poor and rural communities, displaced children and children in conflict settings and other marginalised groups.
She said in order to achieve equity for all marginalised populations, education systems should examine their teaching pedagogies to serve the needs of all learners, adding that;“improving pedagogical practices is an opportunity to strengthen learning outcomes and other skills.”
She stated that education was a force for sustainable development, nation-building and peace,saying that; children and young people who gain skills such as reading, writing or counting were more likely to have a better future than their peers who lacked these skills.
BY JEMIMA ESINAM KUATSINU
