Bawumia Pledges Support for Education and Workforce Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ghana’s Vice President and presidential aspirant for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has disclosed a bold agenda to reshape the Ghana’s educational landscape by supporting the education of persons living with disabilities and, expanding access to higher education. In a recent speech at the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra, Dr. Bawumia outlined his vision for Ghana when elected and in those vision included addressing critical issues such as affordable housing for students, scholarships, and inclusion in government recruitment.

“I will expand educational opportunities for all,” Bawumia announced, emphasizing his commitment to dealing with the challenges students face. Key to this plan is expanding the supply of affordable student accommodation across universities and public tertiary institutions. “My government will, among other things, increase the stock of student accommodation in our universities and other public tertiary institutions to address the housing deficit on our campuses and make them affordable,” he stated.

Bawumia also revealed a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at removing financial barriers for students with disabilities. “We will introduce free tertiary education scholarships for persons with disabilities to remove financial barriers to pursuing their educational goals,” he promised.

In addition to scholarships, Bawumia highlighted his plans to promote workforce inclusion for persons with disabilities. “We will also set a quota for the recruitment of persons with disabilities in all government recruitment,” he pledged. To encourage the private sector to follow suit, his administration will also “provide incentives to the private sector to recruit persons with disabilities.”

Expanding financial assistance beyond scholarships, Dr. Bawumia plans to broaden the eligibility criteria for the national student loan scheme. He intends for all post-secondary students to benefit, including those enrolled in certificate and diploma programs. “We will expand the eligibility for the student loan scheme to include all post-secondary students,” he affirmed, adding that a “significant proportion of national scholarship schemes” would be directed towards “training and skills development.”

Dr. Bawumia also spoke about his commitment to the free Senior High School (SHS) and free Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) policies and vows to ensure their continued success. “We’ll protect and enhance the free SHS and free TVET, which is truly transforming lives and changing the life outcomes for millions of people,” he said.

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To accommodate the rising number of students benefiting from these policies, Bawumia assured that his administration would invest in new infrastructure for educational institutions. “We will continue to develop additional infrastructure for our educational institutions to meet the increased numbers that are resulting from the free senior high school policies,” he added.

Dr. Bawumia presents an ambitious plan, aiming to make Ghana’s education system more inclusive and accessible for all. But one question remains: How will these initiatives be funded and sustained over the long term to ensure their success and impact?