The National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) on Thursday donated e-Learning materials to the Ghana Education Service (GES) Special Education Division for distribution to visually impaired Junior High School final year students.

The learning materials were translated into large print, audio and braille in four core subjects for the students to understand the lessons better and prepare adequately for the Basic Education Certificate Examination.

The beneficiary schools are the Akropong School for the Blind; Wa Methodist School for the Blind; The Blind Unit of Cape Coast School for the Deaf; the Bechem St Joseph Unit for the Blind; and the Avakpedome Inclusive Unit for the Blind.

The materials were funded by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa, an advocacy foundation through the GNECC.

Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, GES Director General, said the items would complement the efforts of government to enhance equal opportunities for learners with special needs in the country.

“We will continue to adhere to the mandate of the Service to ensure that all Ghanaian children of school-going age irrespective of disability or religious affiliation are provided with inclusive and equitable formal education”, he said.

Prof Opoku-Amankwa said the Service had instituted number of educational programmes on television, radio and online as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to educate children while at home.

He said the donation was timely in the wake of COVID-19 because the items would aid effective teaching and learning for the JHS blind students across the country who are preparing for their final exams.

He encouraged the teachers to continue to give of their best to the students, stressing that government would provide the needed assistance to the schools to ensure inclusive and holistic education.

He commended GNECC for the items and pledged to ensure that the books were presented to the students and called for other corporate bodies to support the Service to improve education in the country.

Mrs Bernice Aduo Addae, the Director in charge of Special Education Division, said the materials would open door to literacy, intellectual freedom, equal opportunity and personal security for the students.

She said the learning materials would address the gap in e-learning for visually impaired students and as well add up to the number of reference materials that were already in existence.

Mr Joseph Atsu Homadzi, the Interim Executive Council Chairman, GNECC said the Coalition’s work as a civil society was to help government to address challenges in the educational sector, especially students with disabilities.

He said so far, no students with special needs were infected with COVID-19, urging the school authorities to continue to observe the precautionary measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Mr Homadzi urged government to intensify its education on COVID-19 protocols in schools to contain the spread of the disease as the students prepare for their final exams.