Africa-Press – Ghana. Ghana celebrated the International Day of Sign Languages with the launch of a national curriculum, marking a turning point in inclusive education for Deaf learners.
The Day was marked with a landmark achievement: the launch of a Ghanaian Sign Language curriculum spanning Kindergarten to Senior High School.
The initiative promises to transform education for Deaf learners and signals a new era of inclusion.
The curriculum was developed by the Ministry of Education through the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) and the Special Education Division of the Ghana Education Service (GES-SpED).
It was in collaboration with the Ghana National Association of the Deaf, and supported by Transforming Teaching, Education and Learning (T-TEL) and the Mastercard Foundation.
“This is a bold achievement that ensures Deaf learners can access education in their own language from the very start of their schooling journey,” GNAD and NaCCA said in a joint statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Friday.
Globally, the International Day of Sign Languages is observed on September 23 to promote the linguistic rights of Deaf people and highlight the importance of sign languages in achieving full human rights.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities affirms that sign languages are equal in status to spoken languages and must be protected and promoted by governments.
In Ghana, over 100,000 Deaf and hard-of-hearing people face systemic barriers to education, often due to the absence of a standardized sign language curriculum.
Mr. Juventus Duorinaah, Executive Director of GNAD had said many Deaf children are left out of school or struggle in environments that do not accommodate their linguistic needs.
The new curriculum addresses this gap and affirms Ghanaian Sign Language as a legitimate Ghanaian language.
It also aligns Ghana with international obligations and opens the door for broader recognition of sign language as part of the country’s cultural heritage.
The importance of this development was underscored by President John Dramani Mahama in his February 2025 State of the Nation Address, where he called for strengthened support for Ghanaian Sign Language in education.
GNAD described the presidential endorsement as “a signal of national recognition and commitment at the highest level.”
Despite the milestone, stakeholders emphasized that the curriculum’s success depends on sustained investment.
“We need qualified teachers, interpreters, classroom resources, and public awareness campaigns,” the statement noted.
“The pilot phase must be carefully monitored to inform nationwide implementation.”
GNAD and its partners also called for formal legal recognition of Ghanaian Sign Language to ensure its permanence and respect in national policy.
“Every Deaf child in Ghana has the right to education, to culture, to identity, and to human rights, and sign language is the key that unlocks them all,” the statement added.
As Ghana joined the global movement under the theme “No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights,” the country celebrates progress while acknowledging the work ahead to ensure no Deaf child is left behind.
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