The Conference of Heads of Special Schools in Ghana (COHESS) has appealed to the government to establish targeted incentive packages to attract and retain qualified teachers for learners with disabilities.
This demand highlighted the 43rd Annual Conference of Heads of Special Schools in Ghana, hosted at the GNAT Hall in Accra from 14th to 18th August 2026 under the theme: “Quality Education for All: Strengthening Support System for Special and Inclusive Schools”.
Addressing newsmen on the sidelines, Rosalin Frimpomaa Agyapong, National Chairperson of COHESS, identified the severe deficit of trained special education professionals as a primary hurdle confronting these institutions.
“The special educators that we have in our schools, most of them are now moving out. We have regular teachers who are not special educators in our schools… before they are even able to learn to sign or learn to braille or learn to communicate with children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, it takes time,” she stated.
Internal statistics from COHESS reveal that a striking 70% of educators in special schools are regular teachers without specialized training. Ms. Agyapong further emphasized the critical shortage of essential allied professionals, such as speech therapists, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists, reiterating that competitive motivation packages are imperative to make the sector appealing.
Reassuring the gathering, the Deputy Director General of the Ghana Education Service, Professor Smile Gavua Dzisi, affirmed that measures are underway to resolve the personnel deficits.
“We are not joking with whatever resources that they need… the concerns that they have with the recruitment we are addressing it. We want to make them very comfortable, we want to absorb them into the system so they’ll be a good role model, good mentors for other children with disability as well,” he assured.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
