Implementation of inclusive early childhood education in Ghana. I explore the barriers to and enablers of inclusive practice using a qualitative case study approach. I conducted interviews with education officials, headteachers and teachers

1. Implementation of Inclusive Early Childhood Education in
Ghana
Francis R. Ackah Jnr, PhD Candidate
fr.ackahjnr@yahoo.com
School of Education & Professional Studies
Griffith University
AARE-NZARE CONFERENCE 2014

2. Presentation Overview
 Background to the Study
 Research Methods
 Research Context
 Findings
 Conclusion

3. “We all can learn, play and live together…”
[Sapon-Shevin 2007 cited in Ackah Jnr, 2014]
Background to the Study

4. Background to the Study
 Education For All (UNESCO, 2000; WD on EFA, 1990)
 Inclusive Education (IE) and ratification of conventions and
declarations in Ghana including UNESCO’s Salamanca
Statement (1994) and UN CRPD (2006)
 Ghana’s Education Reform and IE Policy (ESP 2010-2020)
 provide equitable educational opportunities for all children with non-severe
disability and SEN in mainstream (regular) schools
 Increased Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs
(ECCD Policy, 2004); demographic transformations

5. Background to the Study
 Quantitative-oriented studies: teacher conceptualisation
(Deku & Ackah Jnr, 2012), attitudes (Agbenyega, 2007;
Obeng, 2007), teacher preparation (Nketsia, 2011)
 Little qualitative research on IECE
 Positive attitudes of teachers in public Preschools, KGs, and
Primary 1 to 3 classes to IECE (Obeng, 2012)
 IECE is developing in practice ECE settings in Ghana

6. Inclusive Early Childhood Education
INCLUSIVE EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

7. Significance of the Study
 to contribute to corpus of research on IECE
 to inform recommendations guiding future policy and
provision for enhanced and continued IECE practice
 to contribute to international understandings and
scholarship on IECE in different contexts

8. Research Question
How is IECE being implemented in Ghana?
What are the barriers to and enablers of IECE?

9. Research Methodology
 Qualitative case study approach to capture the real-world
of IECE practice (Denzin & Lincoln, 2011; Yin, 2011)
 Multiple case study design to highlight different contexts of
IECE (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007; Yin, 2009) using semi-
structured interviews (Cohen et al., 2007; Creswell, 2014)
and documents (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007)
 Little qualitative research on IECE practice in Ghana

10. Research Context
 Ghana-sub Saharan African country
– Sub Saharan African country; population of about 25.6 million, 5 million
people reported as having disabilities (Human Rights Watch, 2012)
• Research Sites
 Central Region, Case study region
 Cape Coast Metro Assembly, Case study metropolis

11. Research Sites
 Four (4) ECE Centres and Schools
(1) University-based; (2) Inclusive pilot
(3) Private-based; (4) Public-based
 Classes
 Kindergarten 1 (KG 1)
 Kindergarten 2 (KG 2)
 Primary 1 (P 1)
 Primary 3 (P3)
Public ECE Centre and School

12. Participants
 6 Education Service Officials (purposeful selection)
 Directors of Education;
 ECE Coordinator;
 Circuit Supervisors and;
 Inclusive/Special Education Coordinators
Teachers
Headteachers

13. Findings
Suggestions
Enablers
Barriers

14. 1.Barriers to Inclusive Early Childhood Education
• Inadequate teacher training and preparation
“…the barriers include the teacher factor. Yes! Most teachers in the ordinary
school system are not well trained or prepared for handling children with SENs
and the normal ones.”
[ Male Deputy Director of Education]
• Limited involvement of key implementers in policy dev’t
“For the implementation, we are all included; we are all helping and we are
playing our part…But in terms of [IECE] policy making itself …Oh no! Teachers,
heads and even supervisors were not much involved … [for] that one it came
from the top… It was centralised.”
[ Female Deputy Director of Education]

15. 1.Barriers to IECE (cont.)
• Unavailability of documents on inclusive policy and practice
“We don’t have documented materials specifically on inclusive [early childhood]
education at the Metro Directorate. No! We just hand pick information on the
policy or whatever is embedded in the Education Act 778 or others…It isn’t that
there are documents specifically on IE in the Metro Office which should be made
available to teachers, heads or otherwise...”
[Male Deputy Director of Education]
• Attitudinal & perceptual challenges [parents, teachers and societal]
“is about the perceptions and attitudes of society and individuals. The negative
attitudes of people towards children with disability… Some groups of disability
may have more intense reactions, but the negative attitudes cuts across all
disability...”
[Male Inclusive/special Education Coordinator]

16. 2.Enablers of Inclusive Early Childhood Education
• Strong leadership
“[With] people’s attitudes, you need strong leadership to change things…So
Directors of Education or Special Education Division and regular school heads
should have some kind of dynamic vision… that will give a whole process a
change. If we don’t have that strong leadership then the practice should no
longer be viewed as a means to help all students with disability or not.”
[Male Inclusive/Special Education Coordinator]
• Parent involvement and support
“Some parents are enlightened and have different view; all parents have to
come on board for IECE to work. Parents must take active part… provide the
needs of such children and others. Yes, parental involvement!”
[ECE Coordinator]

17. • Knowledge of disability and inclusive practice
“From the policy makers and right down to the GES—Metro Officers and
teachers we are a chain of implementers. The most important thing is the
knowledge. The knowledge that you have about the specific disability and the
practice…For teachers, how to include such children they encounter in the
schools…”
[Circuit Supervisor]
• Teachers’ passion
“Some teachers have the passion to care and love all children. They love the
work that they are doing especially that lady teacher I talked about...When she
came for an interview, we realised that she was very enthused with the work
she was doing. Some people are born to love people with disability... It’s by
nature…naturally… But if all or more teachers have the passion, it will help
…”
[Female Deputy Director of Education]
2. Enablers of IECE (cont.)

18. 3. Suggestions for effective IECE
• Need for research on inclusive practice
“more academicians and [researchers] should come on board to study or
research this program and prepare documents for schools to help in the
inclusive education of children with [mild-moderate] disability...”
[ECE Coordinator]
• Ongoing training and professional development
“Training should go on at the right time and to the target teachers; and all
teachers should have the training to get the knowledge and skills…”
[Circuit Supervisor]
• Strong, supportive policies
“there should be a good policy in place so that inclusive early childhood
practice is guided and guarded zealously so that the right thing is done…”
[Male Inclusive/Special Education Coordinator]

19. Conclusion
“ The [TEACHER] should have that PASSION & INTEREST, wanting to be with and
teach children with or without disability… to enhance inclusive early childhood education.”
The teacher must learn and develop as well…
[Female ECE Teacher]

20. Thank you for the attention

21. References
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