NHFB drives inclusive digital education with TEACH Project

By Caleb Kuleke, GNA 

Ho, May 25, GNA – The New Horizon Foundation for the Blind (NHFB) is driving a major shift in inclusive education through its Technology Enhanced Accessible Classroom for Higher Impacts (TEACH) project. 

The year-long initiative, which runs until August 2026, aims to bridge digital and educational inequalities for visually impaired learners across the Volta Region. 

Funded by the Aumund Foundation in Germany and Deutsches Blindenhilfswerk (DBHW), the project is expected to benefit 100 visually impaired learners and teachers for effective teaching and learning. 

Mr Eric Kwabla Ofori, the Director of the Foundation, disclosed that the project aims at building the capacity of ICT teachers and resources persons to bridge the gap for students with visual impairments. 

Mr Ofori made the disclosure in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during a training workshop organised by the Foundation for some selected teachers from the Mawuli Senior High School and Ho Podi E. P Basic A and B Schools. 

He noted that the majority of schools use integrative education instead of inclusive education, which failed to accommodate the needs of individuals with visual impairments, and this integrative educational system compelled visually impaired pupils to conform to its framework. 

The Director stated that inclusive education was achievable when the setting was made accessible for students, and educators receive adequate training to comprehend disability inclusiveness and facilitate opportunities for all students to engage in the classroom. 

He stated that learners with visual impairments had limited access to assistive technology, sufficient teaching aids, and specialised teachers, and this had negatively affected their learning. 

The Director said the TEACH Project aimed to fill these gaps by providing beneficiary institutions with essential digital devices, accessible textbooks, and advanced teaching tools. 

Mr Richard Komla Ametefe,the Volta Regional Special Education Coordinator, complimented the Foundation for promoting inclusive education in the region, and has guaranteed them of his support. 

He said it was the mandate of the Special Education Unit to ensure that every learner, regardless of their disability, received an equal education according to the Inclusive Education Policy which the country adopted in 2015. 

Mr Ametefe emphasised that it was the duty of every classroom teacher to make sure that every student in the classroom gained from their teachings, highlighting the necessity for instructors to stay up to date with ICT skills in order to provide instruction effectively. 

Mr Kennedy Amedeka, the Volta Regional ICT Coordinator, said ICT skills were key in delivering effective education to learners with disabilities, noting that the curriculum had also emphasised the use of ICT as a pedagogical tool to aid teaching and learning. 

He identified access to ICT equipment in most schools as a significant obstacle to successful digital instruction, and he commended NHFB for filling the gap with its TEACH Project. 

GNA 

Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah