The Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) has commemorated the 2025 National Day for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) with a call for improved inclusive education and participation of persons with disabilities in all sectors of national development.

The theme for this year's celebration, "Advancing inclusion through education", underscores the vital role education plays in empowering PWDs.

There was also a GFD honours awards where individuals who had championed disability rights were honoured.

Challenges

The President of the GFD, Joseph Atsu Homadzi, mentioned some challenges that were preventing PWDs from accessing education.

It includes financial difficulties because many PWDs come from very poor homes with their parents lacking the necessary resources to support them; the school environment, which is often not disability-friendly, and the pedagogy within the inclusive education system where some teachers do not understand how to handle children with special needs or disabilities in the classroom.

According to the Ghana Statistical Service, over 2.1 million people in the country were PWDs, and nearly 20 per cent had never attended school.

This contrasts sharply with the 81 per cent enrolment rate for children without disabilities.

The GFD added that approximately 40 per cent of children with physical disabilities remain out of school.

Appeal

Mr Homadzi appealed to all stakeholders, including duty bearers, parents and community leaders, to support children with disabilities and enhance their access to education in the country.

He commended the government's free tertiary education initiative for PWDs and expressed the hope that it would help create more opportunities for PWDs to access higher education.

The president further appealed for the re-enactment of the Disability Act 1715 to promote the inclusion of PWDs in national development.

Mr Homadzi said that legal backing was essential for effective advocacy work, and that the absence of the Disability Act, which is aligned with the UN Convention, was currently hindering their advocacy efforts.

Commitment

The Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apaak, said the government was committed to disability inclusion as affirmed in the State of the Nation's Address 2025 by President John Mahama.

"This commitment includes tactical, legislative and critical changes to promote inclusivity," he said.

Dr Apaak also said that in a move towards economic empowerment, the government was working with the private sector to ensure the effectiveness of a five per cent employment quota for PWDs.

"Public sector employers are also expected to commit to hiring at least five per cent of their competent workforce from the disability community," he added.

The deputy minister also mentioned the development of a senior high school-level mathematics curriculum for visually impaired students to help them take full advantage of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.

"Efforts are also underway to develop a Ghanaian sign language curriculum to support the hearing impaired," he said.

The Spanish Ambassador to Ghana, Angel Lossada, shared his personal experience of being disabled after serving as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in Spain.

He said his experience had driven his commitment to working for the rights of PWDs.