By Rahamatu-Lahi Zakaria
SDGS goal 4 talks about quality education for all. Also, the UN convention on the rights of the child talks about the right to education for all children without discrimination but the school for the intellectually disabled in Sanziriligu, Tamale on the Tamale Salga road has been turning away intellectually disabled children who do not live around Tamale and its vicinity.
In their defense, the school headmaster and some teachers say, the school has not been empowered enough to admit children from other districts in the northern region. According to the headmaster, they do not have boarding facilities to take students from other districts in the Region. The only boarding facility that was started by GetFund has not been completed work has also been abandoned.
Even within the town, it is a challenged for them since the school has to transport these special needs kids to and fro school. These extra costs of fuelling the school bus to transport the children are deducted from the feeding grant that put pressure on the feeding grant as well.
Speaking to Martha from Martha Inspire foundation, the school authority, explained how parents to these special needs kids do not see the importance of educating them and thereby not spending money on them. This situation led the school management to take care of the transportation of these special needs children to school every other day.
The school management called on benevolent individuals and organizations to come to their aid by helping them to complete their boarding facility so they can enroll children from another district in the region to get an education. They also appeal for fuel, food and other toiletries to supplements what the government is doing.
This was made known to the team of Martha Inspire, who went there to do some donations and also a film for their program, Reflections. Martha Inspire Foundation is a charity and inspirational organization that was foundered by Martha Anabilla. The focus of the organization is to inspire and breed the next generation of leaders as well as help the disadvantaged people in our society.
