GETFund abandons special schools

Reverend Gerhardt Charles Gbekle, President, Conference of Headmasters of Special Schools, has expressed worry over Ghana Education Trust Fund’s (GETFund) failure to extend support to special schools.

He said it is regrettable that GETFund has left out schools accommodating children with intellectual, hearing and sight disabilities, including those with autistic disorders.

Rev Gbekle, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview called on the government to hook special schools onto the fund to help address feeding and learning logistic challenges facing them.

He expressed wonder why GETFund is ably supporting non-special schools but cannot extend help to special schools, “which by moral reasoning even needs greater help”.

Rev Gbekle said the schools are confronted with delays in the release of feeding grant by government: “Meanwhile our children on medication are expected to be fed better.”

“We are in the third term...the grant has not come...the heads are going through all sorts of harassment and humiliation in the hands of suppliers.”

He said the situation is aggravating because “children in special schools do not pay school fees,” compelling school authorities to be depending solely on government subvention, which is meager and irregular.

Kenya and Uganda understudied Ghana on how to run special schools, but now they are ahead of Ghana, he said.

“Each child in these countries enjoys twice of the capitation grant given to non-special schools...their schools are better resourced,” Rev Gbekle said.