Globally, millions of children are at risk of failing to reach an appropriate level of educational attainment as a result of learning difficulties. According to All Children Reading, of the more than 150 million children with disabilities under age 18 around the globe, 80% of them live in developing countries and less than 10% of these children go to school. Specific Leaning Difficulty is a condition that affects a particular area of learning and significantly impacts on children’s ability to learn. It can be a life-long condition, affecting many aspects of life, including education and employment, family life and daily routines.
Children with Specific Leaning Difficulty have a major difficulty in one academic area while excelling in other academic, sporting or artistic achievements. For instance, a child with a learning difficulty might perform well in mathematics, but might have a difficulty in reading or spelling. Individuals with Specific Learning Difficulties have normal or even higher level of intelligence, unlike individuals with Intellectual disability whose intelligence is below average.
Some common Specific Learning Difficulties include: Dyslexia – difficulty in reading, writing and spelling; Dyscalculia – difficulty in mathematics; Dyspraxia – difficulty with movement and coordination; Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder – inability to concentrate well, pay attention and control behaviour; Irlen Syndrome (visual perception disorder) – inability to understand and use visual information; and Autism – difficulty in relating to and communicating with other people.
There are laws that protect the rights of children with learning difficulties in Ghana. The country has ratified the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) which emphasises the rights of all children and prohibits discrimination. Article 24 of the Convention for instance, states that children with disabilities have the right to quality education in their own community on an equal basis with other children. Other laws such as the Disability Act (715), the Education Act (778) and the Children’s Act (560) highlight the significance of safeguarding the rights of children with disabilities. The Ministry of Education has also developed and launched an Inclusive Education Policy which provides that all children with disabilities receive help in their own schools.
However, despite these provisions and the reality that a number of children face the challenges of learning difficulties every day, the condition remains a serious concern in Ghana. Learning difficulties has been a neglected area of research and its devastating effects continue to hamper the education and development of many children in the country. Children with learning difficulties often face abuse, rejection and stigmatization from teachers, parents and peers due to lack of awareness of the condition. Discrimination against children with learning difficulties often leads to reduced access to basic social services, especially education, and general lack of recognition. Some families and communities even attribute learning difficulties to spiritual problems and therefore, fail to provide the appropriate support to children having learning difficulties. As a result, many children with learning difficulties suffer from very low self esteem because of their own perceived feelings of inadequacy and ignorance. The condition, if not properly handled can cause children to drop-out of school, end up in the streets and often involve in social vices such as alcoholism, drug abuse, gambling and stealing.
Despite their limitations however, children with learning difficulties can learn and stay in school to overcome their conditions and enjoy satisfying, productive lives with their families and communities if given the needed help from both parents and teachers. To create awareness about learning difficulties and improve the rights of children with learning difficulties in Ghana, Special Attention Projects (SAP) was established to facilitate this goal.
About Special Attention Project (SAP)
For more than 9 years, SAP has been providing essential information and needed resources and services to the learning difficulties’ community. SAP is a Ghanaian Non-Governmental Organisation that improves the lives of children with learning difficulties by spreading information to the public, advocating for learning support for pupils with learning difficulties in mainstream schools, undertaking research and training on learning difficulties, as well as providing practical support to out-of-school children with learning difficulties in the streets of Accra.
Vision:
All children with Specific Learning Difficulties in Ghana are included in mainstream education.
Mission:
To take the lead in inclusion of children with Specific Learning Difficulties in mainstream education in Ghana by doing research, awareness creation, training and advocacy on Specific Learning Difficulties and by preparing children who are out-of-school as a result of learning problems for mainstreaming.
SAP Programmes and Services
SAP undertakes programmes in the following areas:
Children’s Support Programme: SAP operates an educational centre at Kaneshie for out-of-school children with learning difficulties in the streets of Accra. Almost all the children have been to school in the past but could not keep up with the academic work. Due to lack of help from their schools and families they dropped out of school and later migrated to the streets. The centre serves about 120 children annually. The children aged between 8 and 14 years are assessed and given individualised education according to their abilities. The centre focuses at children with learning difficulties and behavioural problems who cannot easily be enrolled in mainstream schools. SAP works closely with the families of the children admitted into its Children’s Support Programme to reintegrate them at home and in school. Children at the centre are offered free facilities for bathing and washing as well breakfast and lunch. The organisation has also developed learning interventions that respond to children’s learning needs. SAP uses its own FonixGH learning method to help children with reading problems. The practical lesson programme increasingly demonstrates how academic learning can be fused with practical skills training and potentially provides concepts for vocational training. Not all children are able to go back to school. SAP therefore, offers older children the opportunity to receive apprenticeship training. SAP recruits specialised educators who possess valuable expertise in learning difficulties which is strategically spread in the organisation through internal training. SAP’s educators receive regular training and implementation of new skills is closely monitored.
Research: SAP recognises that addressing discrimination and promoting inclusion of children with learning difficulties can be accomplished through information and advocacy, strengthening policy and facilitating access to services. The implementation of relevant policies and programmes, however, has been constrained by lack of reliable data on children with learning difficulties in Ghana. SAP therefore, conducts research to collect data on children with learning difficulties in the country to increase data for evidence-based advocacy for policy and programme decisions in support of children with learning difficulties. SAP has carried out several surveys to compile data relating to children with learning difficulties to strengthen the organisation’s advocacy campaign. Some are Children with Difficulties in Public Basic Schools in Ghana 2011; Specific Learning Difficulties and Children Conflict with the Law in Ghana 2011; as well as Street Children and Learning Difficulties 2010.
Awareness and advocacy: SAP responds to the knowledge gap on learning difficulties in Ghana by creating awareness in society, including rights awareness. SAP’s awareness programme seeks to heighten education and sensitize the general public on learning difficulties to enable them offer the right support to children with learning difficulties. The awareness campaign also includes the spread of information materials on learning difficulties and media engagements. SAP believes that when parents, teachers and other stakeholders are fully aware of the learning and behavioural challenges that children face at home and school, they would be in a better position to help these children. Also, SAP has over the years been actively advocating for learning support and inclusive education for children with learning difficulties in mainstream schools and recognition of learning difficulties as disabilities before the law. The organisation collaborates with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and utilises available campaign platforms and networks to advance its advocacy campaign. SAP was one of the key civil society organisations which actively participated in the consultation process leading to the development of the Inclusive Education Policy by the Ministry of Education in Ghana. This policy aims at promoting the rights of children with disabilities in schools.
Training: Training on learning difficulties is not effectively included in mainstream teacher training curricula in Ghana. SAP therefore, provides training on learning difficulties to teachers and other child care workers to expand their knowledge and skills on learning difficulties. SAP’s training programmes also aim at enhancing the capacities of both public and private basic schools to internalize systems and mechanisms that provide learning solutions for children with learning difficulties. The training programmes organised are well-designed and effectively delivered to build capacities on learning difficulties.
Development of learning materials: This is a new initiative introduced by SAP. The organisation in partnership with Reach for Change and UNICEF Ghana is developing FonixGH reading materials (Learning to read through Phonics and Everyday Twi) to provide learning solutions for children with learning difficulties. SAP aims to secure approval for the learning materials to be incorporated in the curricula of Ghana’s education system.
Challenges Facing SAP
Promoting the rights of children with learning difficulties in Ghana is a daunting task. The situation is worsened by the general lack of awareness and attention, as well as inadequate learning support for children with learning difficulties in mainstream education. The perception and attitude towards children with learning difficulties further aggravate the campaign for improving the lives of children with learning difficulties. This places enormous challenge on SAP in its efforts to advocate for learning support and equality for children with learning difficulties in the country.
SAP’s work is further constrained by inadequate funding for the implementation of its programmes. Over the years, SAP has depended solely on the generosity of donors for the execution of its major programmes. However, with the expiration of partnership agreements with some key donors, the organisation is now very limited in its capacity to develop varied programmes aimed at addressing the needs of children with learning difficulties.
Another key challenge facing SAP is the reintegration of out-of-school children with learning difficulties admitted into the organisation’s educational centre. The major aim of SAP’s Children’s Support Programme is to prepare out-of-school children with learning difficulties in the streets of Accra for reintegration in mainstream schools and families. However, the reintegration exercise has always been a challenge, largely because of the socio-economic problems of the families of children with learning difficulties in SAP’s support programme.
These challenges notwithstanding, SAP remains resolute in its commitment towards working to improve the lives of children with learning difficulties in Ghana. The organisation therefore, calls on parents, teachers and school authorities, GES, media, children’s rights advocacy organisations and other stakeholders to support the work of SAP in safeguarding the rights of children with learning difficulties in Ghana.
The writer is the Programmes Manager at SAP
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sapghana.com