Inclusive Education in Ghana : An Analysis of Policies and the Practices of One Mainstream School and One Inclusive School in the Greater Accra Region

In a time where basic education, non-discrimination, social justice and equality of opportunities are linked to (global) human rights, inclusive education may serve as a valuable entry point to achieve these rights. With the inclusive approach to education, all children are given access to quality education within mainstream classrooms at all times. This implies that mainstream education must accommodate and assure learning and participation among all pupils. For inclusive education to be achievable and successful, clear education policies and guidelines, well-trained teacher, allocation of appropriate resources, and appropriate use of these resources in addition to teaching and learning activities are among the factors that need to be taken into account. These factors operate separately and concurrently at three levels; government level, colleges and university level, and school and classroom level. The ultimate goal of inclusive education is to reach the children themselves. Involvement of and convergence between all levels is therefore essential. This thesis explores how these levels are operating in the Ghanaian context. The purpose is to investigate policies and practices, exemplified with a comparison of the practices at two selected schools in the Greater Accra Region. These two schools adopt different educational approaches; the mainstream (regular) approach and the inclusive approach. The purpose of a comparison between these two approaches is to assess implementation of inclusive education and how it differs from mainstream education. Exploring inclusive education from different angles and levels, further gives the possibility to bring the field to a close; how and to what extent has inclusive education been adopted in the Ghanaian context, where are the gaps, and what are the challenges? These constitute essential questions to be answered