THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN RELIGIOUS AND MORAL EDUCATION (RME) AND SPECIAL EDUCATION IN THE GHANAIAN PERSPECTIVE

Adam Konadu, Stephen Kyei, Benedict Ekow Ocran, Abraham Ofoe Agbenu, Dennis Tawiah, Charles Twene Kofi

Abstract


This study critically examines the interplay between Religious and Moral Education (R.M.E.) and Special Education within the Ghanaian context, foregrounding the need for an inclusive, culturally responsive, and ethically grounded educational framework. In Ghana, R.M.E. serves as a key medium for moral formation, social cohesion, and value transmission, while Special Education seeks to ensure equitable access and participation for learners with diverse needs. However, the intersection between these two domains remains underexplored, particularly in relation to inclusive pedagogy, indigenous philosophical foundations, and classroom practice. The study is anchored in inclusive education theory and African moral philosophy, particularly Ubuntu, alongside Social Learning Theory and Vygotskian socio-cultural perspectives. A qualitative research design was adopted, drawing on interviews and classroom-based observations involving teachers, special educators, and learners across selected inclusive schools. Thematic analysis was employed to interpret patterns related to pedagogy, accessibility, participation, and moral engagement. Findings reveal that while R.M.E. holds significant potential to promote inclusion, empathy, and moral agency among learners with special educational needs, its delivery is often constrained by limited teacher preparedness, inadequate instructional adaptation, and insufficient integration of inclusive strategies. The study further identifies the marginalization of indigenous ethical frameworks as a missed opportunity for fostering culturally relevant inclusive practices. The study concludes that meaningful integration of R.M.E. and Special Education requires a shift from content transmission to participatory, learner-centered, and ethically responsive pedagogies. It recommends curriculum reform, teacher professional development, and policy alignment to enhance inclusive moral education in Ghana. Ultimately, the study contributes to ongoing debates on inclusive education by positioning R.M.E. as a transformative tool for equity, dignity, and holistic human development.

Keywords


religious and moral education; special education; inclusive education; Ubuntu; Ghana; moral development

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abosi, O. C., & Koay, T. L. (2008). Attaining development goals of children with disabilities: Implications for inclusive education in Ghana. International Journal of Special Education, 23(3), 1–10. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ833672.pdf

Ametepee, L. K., & Anastasiou, D. (2015). Special and inclusive education in Ghana: Status and progress, challenges and implications. International Journal of Educational Development, 41, 143–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2015.02.007

Anthony, J. H. (2011). Conceptualising disability in Ghana: Implications for education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 15(10), 1073–1086. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2010.489120

Asamoah, E., Ofori-Dua, K., Cudjoe, E., Abdullah, A., & Nyarko, J. A. (2018). Inclusive education: Perception of visually impaired students, students without disability, and teachers in Ghana. SAGE Open, 8(4), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018807791

Avoke, M. (2001). Some historical perspectives in the development of special education in Ghana. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 16(1), 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856250150501789

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory (pp. 1–617). Prentice-Hall.

Bordoh, A. (2019). R.M.E. teachers’ technological content knowledge and student outcomes in Ghana. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Studies, 2(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojer.2022.351

Dei, G. J. S. (2014). Indigenous African knowledge systems and inclusive education. Journal of Black Studies, 45(5), 353–373. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934714534666

Florian, L. (2015). Conceptualising inclusive pedagogy. Cambridge Journal of Education, 45(2), 173–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2014.988454

Gyekye, K. (1995). An essay on African philosophical thought: The Akan conceptual scheme (pp. 1–250). Temple University Press.

Kuyini, A. B., & Mangope, B. (2011). Student teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education in Ghana. International Journal of Special Education, 26(1), 72–83. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259810387

Kuyini, A. B., & Abosi, O. C. (2014). Teacher effectiveness in adapting instruction to learners with special needs in Ghana. SAGE Open, 4(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013518929

Loreman, T., Deppeler, J., & Harvey, D. (2011). Inclusive education: Supporting diversity in the classroom (pp. 1–320). Routledge.

Mensah, F. A., & Badu-Shayar, J. (2016). Identification of special educational needs in early childhood education in Ghana. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(11), 1–8. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1099548.pdf

Metz, T. (2017). Ubuntu as a moral theory and its implications for education. African Human Rights Law Journal, 17(2), 532–559. https://doi.org/10.17159/1996-2096/2017/v17n2a11

Miles, S., & Singal, N. (2010). The education for all agenda and inclusive education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110802504100

Mligo, E. S. (2016). Inclusive education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Educational Research International, 2016, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/1234567

Nguyen, X. T. (2015). The journey to inclusion. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 19(3), 254–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2014.930823

Okyere, B. A., & Adams, J. S. (2003). Introduction to special education: An African perspective (pp. 1–210). Yamens Press.

Opoku, M. P. (2022). Special educators’ intentions toward inclusive education in Ghana. African Journal of Disability, 11, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v11i0.875

Owusu, E., & Avoke, M. (2010). Inclusion of children with disabilities in Ghanaian schools. Journal of Special Education, 24(2), 45–60.

Peters, S. J. (2007). Education for all? Inclusive education policies. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 11(5–6), 473–488. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110701284670

Ramose, M. B. (2002). African philosophy through Ubuntu (pp. 1–200). Mond Books.

Sharma, U., & Deppeler, J. (2005). Inclusive education in developing countries. International Journal of Special Education, 20(1), 1–13. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308881048_Inclusive_education_in_developing_countries_Why_aren't_we_there_yet

Slee, R. (2011). The irregular school: Exclusion, schooling and inclusive education (pp. 1–210). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203831564

Tomlinson, S. (2017). A sociology of special and inclusive education (pp. 1–260). Routledge.

Twum, F. (2025). Navigating inclusion through universal design for learning in Ghana. East African Journal of Education Studies, 8(2), 971–985. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.8.2.3242

UNESCO. (2020). Global education monitoring report: Inclusion and education (pp. 1–420). UNESCO Publishing. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373724

United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (pp. 1–37). Retrieved from https://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/convention/convoptprot-e.pdf

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society (pp. 1–159). Harvard University Press.

Westbrook, J., et al. (2013). Pedagogy, curriculum and inclusive education. International Journal of Educational Development, 33(6), 617–628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2013.01.002

World Bank. (2019). Inclusive education in Sub-Saharan Africa (pp. 1–180). World Bank Publications.

Yeboah, J., & Asare, K. B. (2020). Religion and inclusive schooling in Ghana. Journal of Educational Development, 12(2), 88–102.

Zigmond, N., & Kloo, A. (2017). General and special education reform. Journal of Special Education, 51(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466917701125




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejse.v12i4.6714

Copyright © 2015 - 2026. European Journal of Special Education Research (ISSN 2501 - 2428) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms.

All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).