Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called on the government to implement policies to address the challenges in the educational sector and also improve quality across the country.
Mr Raymond Danso, the Manager of Rights to Social Services Portfolio at STAR-Ghana Foundation, urged the government to develop an emergency infrastructure expansion plan for overcrowded urban and peri-urban schools.
He said the plan should include a purposeful approach to bridging the 25 per cent gap between Primary and Junior High Schools and provide new schools for underserved communities.
Mr Danso said this during a forum organised by STAR-Ghana Foundation in Tamale, under the Inclusive Elections and Accountable Governance in Ghana Project (Phase III) to strengthen civil society’s role in monitoring education policies and reforms.
The forum brought together key stakeholders from the educational sector in the northern region, to discuss strategies for monitoring government’s commitments and driving accountability in delivering educational services.
It was also a preparatory step towards the government’s planned National Summit on Transforming Ghana’s Education System.
Mr Danso advised the government to discontinue the plan to procure laptops for Senior High Schools and rather ensure that the basic schools had the full complement of textbooks to enhance teaching and learning.
He noted that “The government should diversify the financing source for the Capitation Grant to include the Annual Budget Funding Amount, which is more reliable while benchmarking its annual increment with annual inflation data.”
“The government must implement the long advocated and recommended 20 per cent allowance for teachers in deprived areas for motivation,” he said.
Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko Amidu, the Executive Director, STAR-Ghana Foundation appealed to CSOs to play a vital role in tracking government policy implementation, to address challenges such as the lack of trained teachers, inadequate learning materials, and poor school facilities.
He urged CSOs to advocate for policies that would support the education of marginalised groups.
Professor Ibrahim Gunu, the Dean of the Faculty of Education at University for Development Studies, urged CSOs to support the government to improve quality education by advocating change, generating evidence, and connecting communities to policymakers.
GNA
