Children they say are gifts from God. No matter the appearance
they come into this world with, parents are supposed to treat them with tender
love and care.
Unfortunately, that
is not the case. Among most indigenous tribes in Ghana, children born with any
form of disability particularly those with autism, multiple or single limbs, severe
mental retardation among others, are always referred to as “spirit children”
because of their strange behavior and physical appearance.
Those
unfortunately born to heartless parents most often do not live to celebrate
their fifth birth day as they are either intentionally poisoned to death or
abandoned in a thick forest for wild beasts to devour.
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| Example of mentally retard children elsewhere |
However, those
that are lucky are allowed to grow but are mostly also, denied their
educational and health needs by parents who do not see any reason why they
should invest in a somewhat ‘good-for-nothing-child’, as they describe them.
These children are
stigmatized, treated with contempt and as vulnerable as they are, subjected to
all forms of abuses which are detrimental to their lives.
Thus, the Mayor
of Tamale Alhaji Abudulai Harruna Friday, has made a passionate appeal to
parents who have given birth to children with any kind of disability to
endeavour to take care of their educational and health needs.
According to
him, most of such children are imbued with natural talent and with the right
form of formal education and training, they could grow to become bigwigs in any
profession they desire in life.
He made the
appeal when he joined the Yumba Special School in Tamale as guest of honour during
a get together organized by Ultimate Multimedia Company Limited, operators of
Kesmi FM 107.1 MHz dubbed “Kesmi Easter Fest”.
Alhaji Friday
said the deplorable state of the school, the only one of its kind serving the
three regions of Northern Ghana– Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions, would
henceforth be introduced to any investor who comes into the region to do
business, so that such a measure could grab their benevolence and support.
The General
Manager of Kesmi FM Fred Chidi, told this writer in an interview that, the
company decided to choose the Yumba Special School amongst many deprived
institutions in the Tamale Metropolis to show them some love in this period of
Easter.
Another
intention of the company, he noted, was to project the school to the entire
nation and launch a fundraising appeal so that proceeds of the initiative could
be used to provide recreational and learning materials for the children and as
well as improve upon the school’s infrastructure.
He hinted that
the event was going to be annually, and appealed to the general public and
corporate organizations to show their widows mite to the school through Kesmi
FM as they celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Established some
ten years ago by Mrs. Georgina Nuagah, an educationist, the Yumba Special
School currently has over 100 pupils who are suffering from severe mental retardation
often developed at birth.
As a school for
only mentally retard children, the method of teaching and learning is different
from the normal formal system of education. According to Mrs. Nuagah who is
currently the head-teacher of the school, children are taught daily living
skills and vocational training.
She told this
reporter that the biggest challenge facing the school was the extension of
neglect of most children by their parents from the homes to the school, saying
“most parents refuse to attend P.T.A meetings anytime they are invited. They still
neglect such children even after enrolling them in school and feel that they [parents]
will be stigmatized by other people who will see them when they attend P.T.A
meetings.”
Mrs. Nuagah also
complained about the erratic nature government provide funds needed to run the
school citing for instance, the whole of last year when the late release of
funds almost led to the closing down of the school had it not been the
benevolence of some people.
According to her,
the school currently owed some fuel filling stations up to the tune of about
GH¢3,000.00 and further cited inadequate classrooms, lack of accommodation and a
fence wall among others, as some of the challenges that had compelled
authorities to operate the school as day instead of boarding.
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