Can NDC transform education sector?

Former Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Kofi Annan, once said: “Education is a human right with immense power to transform; on its foundations rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development”.

This is to say that education is the most powerful weapon which can be  used to create change; hence, investment in education and knowledge pays the best interest, underlining why education was a major topic in the just-ended general elections.

Congratulations to President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for securing such a landslide victory in the 2024 election. Ayekoo!!!!

This result is, however, an emphatic statement of the trust Ghanaians have reposited in the party to form the next government to steer the affairs of the nation. Considering that education sector dominated the conversations leading to the elections, the manifesto policies of the NDC on education would be at the centre of attention for the next four years.

The B&FT delves into the NDC manifesto on education to highlight policies outlined to address challenges in the sector and bring about transformation.

The NDC, in its manifesto, listed a comprehensive 30-point education policy aimed at transforming the sector, prioritising accessibility, affordability and quality. This stemmed from the popular opinion that the Free SHS policy delivered accessibility, but was highly deficient in quality.

The manifesto emphasised the importance of education in driving economic growth, reducing poverty and promoting social mobility.

And this is what the flagbearer at the time, now President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, said at Winneba. “Education is the key to unlocking Ghana’s potential. Our proposed policy is a roadmap for transforming our education system and ensuring that every Ghanaian has access to quality education from primary to tertiary level.

“We cannot turn all attention to Free SHS and neglect the basic level, which is the critical foundation level.”

These are 15 policy initiatives out of the 30:

1. Introduce the ‘Bright Beginnings Initiative’ to revive early childhood education for the well-being of Ghanaian children and facilitate seamless integration into continuous schooling and life-long learning.

1. Launch a ‘Furniture for All Initiative’ in partnership with the local carpentry and furniture industry to address acute deficits at the basic school level.
2. Significantly improve the pupil-to-textbook ratio through comprehensive provision of curriculum-based textbooks.
3. Embark on an aggressive infrastructure drive to address the increasing phenomenon of schools under trees and rehabilitate dilapidated school buildings.
4. Improve the Free SHS programme by providing a dedicated and sustainable funding source.
5. Decentralise the procurement of food for Senior High Schools to boost local economies.
6. Abolish the double-track system to restore a stable one-track academic calendar.
7. Embark on an emergency infrastructure drive to complete abandoned E-blocks and expand infrastructure in existing SHS and TVET institutions.
8. Continue the policy of providing free laptops/tablets for students.
9. Equip Science Resource Centres in all schools across the regions to support STEM/TVET education.
10. Review the Computerised School Selection & Placement System (CSSPS) to make it merit-based and address corruption.
11. Commence the establishment of regional TVET Centres of Excellence equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to promote innovation and simulate natural work environments.
12. Promote recognition of the Prior Learning Certification/Step-Up Certification (SEC) programme to enable artisans in the informal sector to validate and improve their skills and knowledge for academic and career progression.
13. Implement a ‘No-Academic-Fee’ policy for first-year students in all public tertiary institutions, including Universities, Colleges of Education and Nursing Training Colleges.
14. Provide continuing students with financial assistance by reintroducing and redeploying our Student Loan Trust Fund Plus and a reformed scholarship regime.

In contrast to the current government’s education policies which have been criticised for prioritising Free SHS to the detriment of others, the NDC’s policy emphasises public investment in education from the basic level to build a strong foundation and ensure continuous flow to the upper levels.

With current statistics showing that there are some 5,400 schools under trees, and an additional 4,000 junior high schools (JHSs) needed for pupils graduating from public primary schools in remote communities where there is no continuation infrastructure, urgent infrastructure is required for Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) policy to come to full realisation.

The Ghana Statistical Services (GSS) data shows that over 1.2 million children are still not in school due to several social constraints, a situation the Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) bemoans and called on the government to revisit commitment.

The NDC, as promised in its manifesto, must taken urgent pragmatic measures to address this infrastructure shortfall and deliver the promised transformation.

The NDC has pledged to implement these policies upon taking office, with a focus on community engagement, transparency and accountability – urging all Ghanaians to join in this journey to transform the education sector; and stakeholders, including civil society organisations (CSOs), will be monitoring implementation progress steadily.

While sections of the NDC’s 30-point education policy have been hailed as a game-changer by some CSOs, education experts and stakeholders, concerns have similarly been raised about the significance or impact of some of them.

With the current fiscal challenges the country finds itself, implementation of all these policies seems implausible; but ability to review and select, at least, the best 10 for comprehensive implementation would definitely be a game-changer.

Who Wears Dr. Adutwum’s shoes?

The outgoing Education Minister, Dr. Osei Yaw Adutwum, has not been spared of criticisms, especially from the CSOs in terms of neglect of basic level education infrastructure, new curriculum without textbooks for five years, school placement saga, among others.

However, he has been highly commended in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education as the pioneer of bold solutions in that space, leading to the establishment of about 10 new schools purposely for that while introducing the same in existing schools.

He also championed some key reforms, including the introduction of a new curriculum to the pre-tertiary level – the standard-based curriculum, for instance, that kick-started in the current academic year has been described as a game-changer.

The next Education Minister who wears his shoes must come on board well-prepared and be bold enough to push the limits and force his government to increase education sector budgets.

The current cap placed on the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has been described as bane for the education sector, but all calls for it to be uncapped failed. This must be of key concern to the incoming minister, considering that the NDC promised to uncap it when elected into office.

In conclusion, transforming the education sector is not far from reach if the needed resources are released to the minister and other implementation agencies, procurement breaches are addressed and the proposed policies are implemented judiciously.