African Journal of Educational Management – Vol. 14, Nos. 2 1African Journal of Educational Management – Vol. 14, Nos. 2 African Journal of Educational Management – Vol. 14, Nos. 2

Abstract

This study investigated the perception of teachers towards the inclusion of pupils with low-vision in the Winneba Municipality of the Republic of Ghana. The study was premised on the assumption that regular teachers believe children with special needs have no place in regular classrooms since their inclusion will make their work difficult, time-consuming and burdensome. It was also speculated that headteachers in regular schools do not admit children with special needs because they believe the presence of such students will lower the academic standard of the school. A descriptive survey was used for the study. A ten-item self developed opinionnaire, a semi-structured interview guide and work sample analyses were used to collect data from teachers, headteachers and the low-vision pupils. The results of the study revealed that the teachers were ignorant about the visual problems of the students. It also came to light from the study that the headteachers were reluctant to register the low-vision pupils for the final examination because they feared their inability to do well will threaten the overall performance of the schools in the Basic Education Certificate Examination. The study also revealed that most of the low vision pupils were socially withdrawn and isolated from sports and games. Recommendations for addressing the problems were also made.