Exploring the intentions of school leaders towards implementing inclusive education in secondary schools in Ghana

Inclusive education is a useful policy for giving all persons access to education. However, the effectiveness of practice at the school level depends on the commitment of the educators to promote learning for all students. Although teachers are the actual implementers of inclusive education, school leaders are the main drivers of policy practices at all levels of education. Through Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations has urged countries to extend universal access to education from primary to secondary schools. However, in the Ghanaian context, information on the intentions of school leaders toward implementing inclusive education in secondary schools is sparse. Using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a framework, we interviewed 17 school leaders to understand their intentions toward the education of students with disabilities in secondary schools in Ghana. The participants were skeptical about the government’s commitment to provide them with the needed resources to enhance their practices. The study limitations, recommendations for future research, and the need for stakeholders’ engagement on contextual approaches to practice inclusion are discussed.