An appraisal of needs and access of in-service education and training for teachers in basic Schools for the Deaf in Ghana

Teachers like all other professionals need to undergo continuous professional development through in-service training to upgrade their skills and the competencies in the profession. This paper examined the availability of in-service training to teachers of the deaf in Ghana as well as the requirements for the provision of in-service education. To achieve this, ninety-four teachers and four administrators from the schools for the deaf from ten regions were sampled for the study. Questionnaire and interviews were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that in-service training programmes are highly irregular. Insufficient funds have also been identified as one of the major factors hindering the organization of in-service education. Key recommendations are that staff development should be viewed as a policy issue, as a necessity and continuous process. Thus, more resources should be devoted to staff development at regular intervals.    Key words: In-service training, professional development, needs, access, teacher, deaf.