A Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah has called for a dispassionate national dialogue on the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy to ensure its sustainability.
He explained that the SHS was one of the boldest education decisions which had been taken since independence, and said there was the need to critically examine the programme without “any political colouration” to come out with measures such as funding to sustain the programme.
Prof. Addae-Mensah disclosed this at the launch of the Global Action Week for Education (GAWE) 2018 in Accra yesterday, said a national discourse on the Free SHS had become necessary to build a national consensus on the programme.
This year’s GAWE being organised by the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) is on the theme “Accountability for Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) through Citizen Participation”.
Among the activities outlined for the programme include educational seminars by the regional chapters of GNECC on topics such as Education in Urban Slums, Learning Outcomes, Inclusive Education, Access and Funding of Education, Teaching and Learning Materials, Effects of Mining on Education and the seminar of the Free SHS by the Northern Network for Education in the three Northern Regions.
Prof. Addae-Mensah who spoke on the topic, Creating a More Equitable Pre-Tertiary Education System in Ghana-The Way Forward towards Meeting Commitments to SDG4”, said that though the country had initiated best educational programmes and reforms to improve education, the challenge had been policy discontinuity by successive governments.
For instance, he said, the late President, John Evans Atta Mills commissioned a study on Funding Education to come out with measures to finance education in the country, the report had been jettisoned by successive governments which took over from the late President.
Prof. Addae-Mensah entreated the government to put measures in place to ensure equity, inclusion and quality education delivery in the country, indicating that since independence anytime government attempted to provide free education, quality suffered due to delay in the release of funds and entreated government not to debar parents who were willing and ready to support quality education delivery in the country.
The GNECC Executive Council Chairman, Bright Appiah, in his welcome address said the theme of the programme was chosen to highlight the need for the citizens to demand accountability form government and other stakeholders in the education sector, pointing out that enhanced accountability was critical to ensure that the resources being expended on education were judiciously used.
Mr. Appiah, who is the Executive Director of Child Rights International, said greater accountability would be critical in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4, which calls for inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all.
The Director General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwah in a speech read on his behalf by Dr Mrs. Angela Tena Mensah, the Director for Secondary Education Division of the GES, said government had initiated measures to address the challenges facing quality education delivery.
He said the challenges facing education could not be addressed overnight and gradually government was instituting measures to promote quality education.
Particularly on the placement of SHS, Prof. Opoku-Amankwah said government had adopted another criterion which makes it mandatory for every student to choose a Community Day School in their community.
Dr Esther Ofei Aboagye, a former Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies, who chaired the programme, encouraged the citizens and civil society organizations to demand better accountability from stakeholders in the education sector, saying “we must not sit aloof; we must stand-up and be counted”.
He explained that the SHS was one of the boldest education decisions which had been taken since independence, and said there was the need to critically examine the programme without “any political colouration” to come out with measures such as funding to sustain the programme.
Prof. Addae-Mensah disclosed this at the launch of the Global Action Week for Education (GAWE) 2018 in Accra yesterday, said a national discourse on the Free SHS had become necessary to build a national consensus on the programme.
This year’s GAWE being organised by the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) is on the theme “Accountability for Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) through Citizen Participation”.
Among the activities outlined for the programme include educational seminars by the regional chapters of GNECC on topics such as Education in Urban Slums, Learning Outcomes, Inclusive Education, Access and Funding of Education, Teaching and Learning Materials, Effects of Mining on Education and the seminar of the Free SHS by the Northern Network for Education in the three Northern Regions.
Prof. Addae-Mensah who spoke on the topic, Creating a More Equitable Pre-Tertiary Education System in Ghana-The Way Forward towards Meeting Commitments to SDG4”, said that though the country had initiated best educational programmes and reforms to improve education, the challenge had been policy discontinuity by successive governments.
For instance, he said, the late President, John Evans Atta Mills commissioned a study on Funding Education to come out with measures to finance education in the country, the report had been jettisoned by successive governments which took over from the late President.
Prof. Addae-Mensah entreated the government to put measures in place to ensure equity, inclusion and quality education delivery in the country, indicating that since independence anytime government attempted to provide free education, quality suffered due to delay in the release of funds and entreated government not to debar parents who were willing and ready to support quality education delivery in the country.
The GNECC Executive Council Chairman, Bright Appiah, in his welcome address said the theme of the programme was chosen to highlight the need for the citizens to demand accountability form government and other stakeholders in the education sector, pointing out that enhanced accountability was critical to ensure that the resources being expended on education were judiciously used.
Mr. Appiah, who is the Executive Director of Child Rights International, said greater accountability would be critical in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4, which calls for inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all.
The Director General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwah in a speech read on his behalf by Dr Mrs. Angela Tena Mensah, the Director for Secondary Education Division of the GES, said government had initiated measures to address the challenges facing quality education delivery.
He said the challenges facing education could not be addressed overnight and gradually government was instituting measures to promote quality education.
Particularly on the placement of SHS, Prof. Opoku-Amankwah said government had adopted another criterion which makes it mandatory for every student to choose a Community Day School in their community.
Dr Esther Ofei Aboagye, a former Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies, who chaired the programme, encouraged the citizens and civil society organizations to demand better accountability from stakeholders in the education sector, saying “we must not sit aloof; we must stand-up and be counted”.
Original Story on:
PeaceFMOnline
Popular Posts
Scroll to Top