The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has urged the Ministry of Education and stakeholders to fashion effective policies to improve quality at the basic school level in the country.
He observed that past educational reforms of 1974, 1986, and 1987 and the Free and Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) policy had not yielded the desired results, hence the need for a paradigm shift.
This was contained in a speech read on his behalf by the Chief of Administration at the Office of the Speaker, Charles Dondieu, at the 30th annual Conference of Directors of Education (CODE) in Wa in the Upper West Region on Wednesday October 25, 2023.
It was on the theme: “Resourcing basic education in Ghana for quality education delivery.”
The conference, which is being attended by various directors of education in the country, would discuss critical issues to strengthen implementation of educational policies and programmes.
Unemployment
Mr. Alban Bagbin said over the years, the country had been producing unskilled and unemployable school leavers.
He, therefore, suggested that there must be a re-look at the school curriculum to ensure pupils and students were adequately tutored and prepared for the job market to accelerate the development of the country.
The Speaker also said that the government had the responsibility of creating the needed infrastructure and environment to ensure effective teaching and learning, especially at the basic level.
The delegates
He added that the budgetary allocation to the education sector must also be increased to address the challenges and improve learning outcomes.
Bagbin commended the organizers for choosing to host the conference in the region and presented them with an amount of GH¢10,000.
A cake was also cut to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the CODE which was formed in 1993.
Interference
The Dean of the Faculty of Business and Integrated Development Studies of the SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), Prof. Mohammed Hadi Bolaji, identified political interference as one of the biggest challenges that had bedeviled the education sector over the years.
He said the situation had led to successive governments abandoning projects started by their predecessors.
Prof. Bolaji also said that teachers, who were the main stakeholders in education, were sometimes not involved in decision-making in the sector.
He added that at the moment, over 5,000 basic schools needed to be rehabilitated, while more than 2,000 schools were still under trees.
The dean said such challenges had contributed to the falling standards in basic education as being witnessed in the country.
Concern
The Upper West Regional Minister, Hafiz Bin Salih, expressed concern over the absence of the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, and the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr Eric Nkansah, at such an important event.
He said since basic education was the foundation for higher education, it was necessary to pay more attention to that sector.
The minister also thanked the organizers for selecting the region to host the conference.
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