Implementation of inclusive education in Ghana: The mission of SENCos

Abstract

This article investigates the roles of special education needs co-ordinators (SENCos) in the implementation of inclusive education (IE) in Ghana. The mixed-methods approach, specifically the convergent design, was adopted. Seventy-three SENCos responded to a questionnaire, and 15 SENCos were interviewed. The census approach was used for selecting the respondents for the quantitative phase, while the purposive sampling technique was used for the selection of participants in the qualitative phase. A semi-structured interview guide was used in collecting the qualitative data. Frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations were used in analysing the quantitative data. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. The study concluded that SENCos are ‘directors’ of the implementation of IE; hence, the Ministry of Education should clearly state their roles in the IE policy.