Education Ministry: Over 400,000 students eligible for special ed
<p>New Education Ministry data reveals that for the 2026-2027 school year, over 400,000 students are eligible for special education services.</p><p>The number, an unprecedented high, represents 16% of all students, nearly one out of every six, as well as a 9% rise from the previous school year.</p>
The Ministry of Education in Ghana is set to amend the Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049) to guarantee adequate representation of acknowledged faith-based organizations on the Ghana Education Service (GES) Council. This decision comes in response to concerns raised by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference regarding their exclusion from the council.
Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apak, acknowledged the invaluable contributions of faith-based organizations to the education sector in Ghana during a statement released on Thursday, August 27, 2026. He assured that the Ministry's concerns were being taken into careful consideration.
Currently, the Ghana Education Service Act, 1995 (Act 506) stipulates that there should be three representatives from faith-based organizations on the GES Council. However, the Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049) had reduced this number to one. The Ministry identified this reduction as an anomaly when setting up the GES Council in 2025, hence their decision to maintain the current representation pending a law amendment.
The Ministry has been engaging various stakeholders as part of their broader initiatives under the government's decentralisation policy on education. They committed to initiating the necessary legislative process to amend Act 1049 and ensure appropriate representation from all recognized faith-based organizations in the GES Council.
The Ministry emphasized its dedication to an inclusive, consultative, and collaborative approach towards education governance. They promised to continue engaging key stakeholders to strengthen the education sector and ensure that all significant interests are properly represented. The Ministry also expressed gratitude to the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference and other faith-based organizations for their long-standing contributions to the education sector in Ghana.
They urged these organizations to collaborate with the government to tackle the rising disciplinary issues in the education sector as the legislative review progresses.
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