The Teacher’s Knowledge about Special Needs Learners: A Fundamental Element for the Implementation of Inclusive Education

T: Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong in Ghana, was one of the pilot institutions that has undertaken inclusive Education programme for students with special needs where students with disabilities (visual impairment, hearing impairment and the physically challenged) learn and share the same facilities with their non-disabled counterparts. Since the pilot project was started in 2003, no systematic study has been carried out to ascertain the extent to which the institution has been able to implement the concept of inclusive education. The aim of the study therefore was to assess Presbyterian College of Education as an inclusive educational institution. A case study design; in which tutors and students at Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong were interviewed, was adopted for the study. A convenience sampling and census techniques were used to recruit 35 students with disabilities and 15 tutors at Presbyterian college of education in the Eastern region of Ghana. In-depth interview and observational techniques were used to assess the views of the participants about inclusive education with regards to teachers' knowledge about how to handle and teach students with special needs. The findings of the study revealed that currently, the teachers have very limited knowledge about how to handle and teach students with special needs. The findings further revealed that generally, the teachers had inadequate understanding of inclusive education before the programme was introduced. Also, lack of preparation on the part of teachers to teach students with special needs was revealed. This is because the teachers' knowledge on the concept of inclusive education is very critical in educating persons with disability. Based on this finding, it is recommended that in-service training should be organised to educate teachers at the College of Education level to facilitate inclusion