The state of special schools in Ghana: perceptions of special educators in Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana

Special education is aimed at providing a wide range of services to enable children who need special assistance, logistics and teaching methods to participate in the educational system. Special schools perform these functions by providing children with disabilities the support they need to participate in teaching and learning. This study investigated the state of special schools in Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana. The aim was to assess conditions in the schools, from the perspectives of special educators, to ascertain if the schools were preforming the functions for which they have established. An in-depth interview was conducted with 20 participants, made up of special education officials at the national head office, district special education coordinators, headmasters and teachers of special schools. The results from the study suggest that special schools in the two regions were ill-resourced and were turning out students with low academic and vocational achievements. These findings are discussed in relation to the purpose of special education and the commitment of government to provide quality education for children with disabilities.