The director of School for Life, Hajia Sayibu, has called for social inclusion to be placed at the centre of Ghana’s basic education reforms to ensure equity for all learners, especially those from marginalised communities. She made the call at the second edition of the National Convening on Social Inclusion in Basic Education, held in Tamale under the theme: “Building Inclusive Societies Through Education: The Role of National and Sub-National Actors.” The stakeholders convening was organised by School for Life in partnership with the Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) and YEFL-Ghana under the Citizen-led Actions for Education Accountability and Responsiveness (CLEAR) project. The CLEAR project is being implemented in six districts: Tatali–Sangule and Nanumba North in the Northern Region; North East Gonja in the Savannah Region; Wa West in the Upper West Region; Talensi District in the Upper East Region; and the East Mamprusi Municipality in the North East Region. The project seeks to build and sustain advocacy around quality and equity in basic education by collaborating with stakeholders and citizen groups. The convening brought together education sector stakeholders, civil society organisations, development partners, traditional authorities and the media. Hajia Sayibu acknowledged Ghana’s progress in expanding access to basic education but noted that persistent social inclusion gaps continued to undermine learning outcomes for many children.
“For equity in education to be meaningful, social inclusion must be central. Equity is not only about enrolment numbers or infrastructure; it is also about recognising and addressing the social and cultural barriers that prevent some children from fully participating in learning,” she said.
She said School for Life’s 30 years of work in underserved communities—beginning in Northern Ghana through the Complementary Basic Education Programme—had revealed deep gender disparities and systemic exclusion affecting girls, children with disabilities and minority groups, particularly Fulbe communities.
Hajia Sayibu noted that many schools lacked ramps, disability-friendly classrooms and basic facilities for learners with special needs, while policy design and implementation often failed to reflect the lived realities of marginalised groups.
“This is why we are gathered here today—to speak honestly, share community evidence, influence policy and inspire collective action,” she added.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister for Education, acknowledged structural challenges within the education system, particularly at the basic level, and assured stakeholders of government’s commitment to strengthening foundational learning.
He said recent funding concentration on secondary education had weakened basic education and widened disparities between northern and southern Ghana, as well as rural and urban areas.
“Foundational learning is the key to the success of secondary and tertiary education. If a child gets it right early, you can predict a productive and successful life,” Mr Iddrisu said.
The Minister announced that about 180 million US dollars had been secured from development partners, including the World Bank and the Jacobs Foundation, to support foundational learning, adding that civil society organisations such as School for Life would be involved in implementation.
He also disclosed ongoing curriculum reforms from kindergarten to junior high school to introduce financial literacy, ethical integrity, digital skills, coding and artificial intelligence, while expanding Ghanaian language instruction to include Ghanaian Sign Language.
On inclusive education financing, Mr Iddrisu revealed proposed amendments to the GETFund Act to support free education for learners with special needs and persons with disabilities from 2026, including funding for feeding, assistive devices and specialised learning environments.
During a panel discussion, Ms Bavina Safia Musah, a Development Consultant, said children with disabilities, girls and Fulbe children experienced varied forms of exclusion requiring targeted and sustained interventions.
She noted that Ghana had strong gender-inclusive education policies but struggled with weak, under-resourced and unaccountable implementation.
Mr Zulyaden Amadu, Programme Manager in charge of the CLEAR project at School for Life, presented Community Score Card findings from beneficiary schools, highlighting committed teachers and community engagement as strengths.
However, he identified gaps in teacher deployment, teaching and learning materials, gender-responsive facilities, disability access and transparency in the use of capitation grants.
Professor Amin Alhassan, Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, who chaired the meeting, stressed the need for evidence-based dialogue and sustained accountability to translate policy commitments into improved learning outcomes.
The convening also served as a media engagement platform, urging journalists to centre their reporting on children, teachers, parents and marginalised communities while tracking policy commitments and budgetary allocations aimed at advancing social inclusion in basic education.
Source: Ibrahim Angaangmeni Alhassan/Zaaghana.com
