WAEC accepts oral response from students unable to write during the examination in West Africa.

Alex Amankwah who is in charge of specific learning disabilities at the Ghana Education Service has revealed the approval of oral answers from students who can not communicate because of their impairment by the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC).

He said provisions were made to accommodate students who have special needs to undergo exams to compete without disabilities with their counterparts.

At the Technical Committee meeting of the Ghana Disability Law held in Accra, Mr Amankwah made this clear.

The Technical Committee formed by the Ministry of Health, Children and Social Protection is responsible for the review of the Disability Act and the preparation of the corresponding legislative instrument (LI) for legislative submission.

Mr Amankwah clarified that the opportunity to capture their replies or answers in audio for students who could not write because they were affected was then transcribed for the examiner.

He said for students with special educational needs to benefit from this, they must go through an assessment at the Ghana Education Service assessment Centres.

“A report from the Assessment Centre is sent to the school, which is further sent to the Municipal, Regional and National offices of the Ghana Education Service to be sent to WAEC,”

“WAEC is able to adequately prepare for the students during the examination. Special concessions are made where necessary to give the students ample time among other things,” Mr Amankwah added.

He said the GES Special Education Department also has provisions in classrooms to ensure the effective implementation of their education for students with special education requirements.

The Technical Committee reviewing the disability law also discussed the right certification of students attending specific schools and, at times, receiving no certificate of effort to be at school.

Ms Esther Akua Gyamfi, Executive Secretary of the National Council for Disabled Persons, said the system needed to acknowledge the efforts of students who go to the school for a number of years and sometimes pass out of school because of their disabilities without a certificated status.

“Many regular schools refuse to register children with disabilities for the West African Examination Council,” so the children stay in school for a number of years without any recognition for their efforts of being in school.

The implementation of a credential program for disabled students with special needs in school would further enhance the growth and involvement of disabled people in the community.