On Tuesday, September 8, Chance for Childhood’s Country Representative and Safeguarding Lead Richard Opoku and the Vice President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Rebecca Ekpe, spoke at a Media Workshop on Disability and Inclusive Education hosted by the British Council. They urged the government to increase the budget allocation for inclusive education from below 1% of the overall education budget to at least 2%.
Opoku said the 2015 Inclusive Education Policy, launched by the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, remains unfulfilled because of insufficient funding. “The main challenge is with the implementation of the policy because of largely inadequate funding,” he said. He added that the current allocation limits the provision of essential support for children with disabilities and calls for investment in teacher training and appropriate teaching and learning materials.
Ekpe echoed the plea, noting that more than 80% of teachers lack the training needed to support inclusive classrooms and that roughly 80% of schools lack accessible facilities such as laboratories, toilets and suitable furniture. She also highlighted that about 1,700 children with severe communication impairments are out of school, stressing the need for sustained public and media attention.
Both speakers stressed the media’s role in shaping public perceptions about disability. Opoku urged journalists to use language, images and voices that respect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities, while Ekpe called for investigative reporting that exposes local barriers and amplifies the voices of those who are often unheard.
They concluded that meaningful inclusion requires a collective effort from government, schools, civil society, NGOs, corporate institutions, the media and the wider public. The workshop aimed to strengthen journalists’ understanding of disability and equip them to promote a more inclusive Ghana.
