Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) has welcomed the provision of education scholarships for them with excitement and relief, as promised by the Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the flag-bearer of the Patriotic Party (NPP)’s Election 2024 Manifesto.
In his campaign tour to the Western Region, the Vice President promised his government would prioritise education scholarship and provide free tertiary education to all PwDs who make it to University in Ghana.
Reacting to it in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Goaso in the Ahafo Region, Mr Yaw Ofori-Debrah, the Chairman of the National Council for PwDs, said they welcomed the promise with excitement and hoped it would not be a political gimmick.
He expressed worry that many of the PwDs in the country gained admissions to tertiary institutions, however, they dropped out due to financial difficulties and ended up on the street to beg for alms.
Several others also qualified, but unable to further their education too, he stated, saying the PwDs were optimistic that the promise would be a reality to relieve them of the burden of paying tuition and other fees at the tertiary levels.
Mr Ofori-Debrah said the payment of hostel, tuition and Student Representative Council (SRC) fees had been a ‘headache’ for the PwDs, who gained admission to universities and other educational institutions in the country.
He said with higher education, the PwDs could become national assets, and that would not only enable them to contribute significantly to the holistic development of the nation, but also position them well to also support many other PwDs to access tertiary education too.
“By doing so, the country can make a headway in tackling the menace of alms begging among PwDs on the street.”
Mr Ofori-Debrah emphasised that PwDs formed an integral part of society and had inherent talents and expressed worry that successive governments had continued to neglect them in policy formulation and implementation.
“That is why we welcomed Dr Bawumia’s campaign promise with excitement”, he said, and prayed that the realisation of the promise would also cover all the PwDs, including the blind and the deaf.
Mr Ofori-Debrah said another major challenge confronting the PwDs in the country was the continuous discrimination on the job market, saying, “We have now PwDs who are qualified accountants, nurses and teachers, among other professions, however, they are unable to get job in the formal sector”.
GNA