GJA Vice President Urges Journalists to Champion Inclusive Education
The Vice President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Madam Rebecca Ekpe, has urged journalists to make inclusive education and disability issues a regular part of their reporting and public advocacy.
She said the media had an important role to play in amplifying the voices of persons with disabilities and drawing public and policy attention to the barriers that prevented children with disabilities from enjoying their right to education.
She made the call at a media engagement programme on Disability and inclusive education organised by Chance for Childhood for journalists and communications professionals.
She said she expected the participants at the programme to leave as advocates for inclusive education and disability inclusion.
Madam Ekpe said the training was timely and had provided journalists already engaged in the conversation on disability with an opportunity to reflect on the issues and approach them from different perspectives.
“As journalists and communications professionals, writing and telling stories is what we do every day. However, when these issues affect us personally, we sometimes struggle to find the right words to describe the experience,” she said.
She urged journalists to ensure that inclusive education and disability issues had a place in their news pages and social media platforms.
“We do not have to wait until these issues affect us directly before we begin talking about them. Let us make these conversations part of our daily work,” she said.
Madam Ekpe noted that journalists had the platforms and opportunity to amplify the voices of people who were often not heard, describing that responsibility as an important part of the media’s role in society.
She also called for increased funding for inclusive education and disability related interventions, saying inadequate resources could prevent policies from being effectively implemented.
Priscilla Osei-Wusu Nimako, ISD
