Make post-secondary education a requirement for becoming MP – Afenyo-Markin

The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called for post-secondary education to be made a criterion for persons aspiring to be members of Ghana’s parliament.

Speaking at the 2023 GIMPA Law Conference, he noted that the public has been very critical of many events in parliament, and for that matter, Article 94 of the 1992 constitution should be revisited.

The constitutional provision stipulates the criteria for which an individual can be deemed qualified or not to be a member of Parliament.

“We have often heard the members of the public talking about the quality of debates and sometimes our grammar is marked, our reasoning powers are questioned and I agree. It is fair. It is part of your bona fide as critical observers…looking at or interrogating what we do in the Chamber. For that purpose, I think that it wouldn’t be far-reaching to suggest perhaps that Article 94 be looked at.”

He believes that making post-secondary education a criterion for entering parliament will ensure improvement in the quality of persons who get to decide on important matters for the nation.

“Maybe not talking about university degrees….first degree as a minimum qualification, but we can look at post-secondary education. Somebody may have some post-secondary education which may not even be tertiary training but would have gathered some experience. We may have to look at that, all aimed at ensuring that those who enter Parliament have the necessary capacity to do that,” the Deputy Majority Leader said.