The Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) is a Category II Centre for West Africa under the auspices of UNESCO, located at the University of Cape Coast. It celebrated the 2024 International Education Day (IED) with teachers and students of the Cape Coast School for the Deaf/Blind. IEPA collaborated with the Cape Coast Metro Directorate of Educat to mark the day in Cape Coast. 

This year, UNESCO chose the theme for celebrating IED as, “Learning for Lasting Peace”, to create awareness for the need for peace using the important tool of education:  Education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility. The world is seeing a surge of violent conflicts paralleled by an alarming rise of discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and hate speech. The impact of this violence transcends any boundary based on geography, gender, race, religion, politics, offline and online. An active commitment to peace is more urgent today than ever. Education is central to this endeavour. Learning for peace must be transformative, and help empower learners with the necessary knowledge, values, attitudes skills and behaviours to become agents of peace in their communities.
 

Explaining to the gathering why IEPA is celebrating this day, the Head of Communications and Public Relations at IEPA – Ms. Nana Efua Rockson, indicated that, IEPA as a UNESCO Category II Centre is mandated to implement UNESCO’s goals, specifically, Goal 4. SDG 4 is to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” Thus, if education is a vehicle to bring about lasting peace, then it behoves IEPA to create the needed awareness in Ghana and West Africa and support other global players’ efforts in promoting learning for lasting peace. 

In her solidarity remarks, the Director of Education for the Cape Coast Metropolitan Area – Mrs. Phyllis Asante-Krobea, expressed heartfelt gratitude to IEPA for choosing to celebrate the IED with a special needs school. She stated that, no child is without talents for disability is not inability. Educators must work to unearth the uniqueness of every child to help them achieve their full potential whether he or she is abled or differently-abled. She honed in on the theme for the celebration by emphatically saying that, “Education is the solution to lasting peace for as we learn to agree to disagree and reach consensus building, we are cultivating peaceful co-existence”. 

Delivering the talk for the day on the theme, the Director-General of IEPA  Dr. Michael Boakye-Yiadom, stated that lasting peace will only be achieved if all educated persons become intentional to make it happen. He further explained that teachers must use their words and actions to encourage peaceful co-existence; students must be made to work in groups to build tolerance, patience and respect for diversity to cultivate harmonious relationships; families must demonstrate togetherness and communities must eschew disputes and divisive actions. When all commit to intentionally promoting peace, Ghana and the world at large will achieve lasting peace. He also charged the students not to be limited by their impairments but rather aspire to the zenith of the education ladder because others before them have done it and paved the way for their smooth climb.  He advised them that, “everything is possible once you are determined and focused on achieving it and that is irrespective of whether one has an impairment or not”.  He concluded by saying that, on this 2024 International Day of Education, let us recognise the transformative power of learning in promoting lasting peace. By embracing education as a fundamental right for all, we can create a world where everyone – including the differently abled, has the opportunity to thrive, where diversity is celebrated, and where peace is not just a dream but also a reality.

Madam Salamatu Gausu, the Special Education Coordinator for Cape Coast Metro, encouraged all teachers and students to raise awareness about the power of education in transforming lives as exhibited in the behaviours of the special needs learners. She stated categorically that, “everyone can make a difference and inspire positive change in their communities by promoting peace and harmonious co-existence”. 

At the end of the talks and messages, all participants made a pledge to be worthy instruments to promote lasting peace. The students shared their learnings from the interactions and some indicated that they will no longer fight with others in the classroom; they will support each other to grow and perform well academically, and they will be ambassadors of peace. 

The Cape Coast School for the Deaf/Blind is a special needs school located in Cape Coast with a student population of 459 students.  400 students with hearing impairments and 59 students who are visually impaired.

Notably, the International Day of Education is set aside to drive home the commitment of UN member countries when it adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015 and pledged to recognize the essential role of education for the success of all the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.