46: Ghanaian Education Weekly Review (7/24 – 7/30)

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MoE minister talking about Free SHS

The Minister of Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has been trying to get people to buy in to the highly anticipated Free SHS program. “Free SHS is doable and the NPP government is going to do it. We are not oblivious of the obstacles, but we hope the president’s direction will put Ghana on the map where financial obstacles will no longer determine how far a person can go in the education cycle,” he said. Opoku Prempeh’s words come as political opponents (see below) and policy analysts continue to question the feasibility of the program that was a major pillar of President Akufo-Addo’s campaign platform.

 

And so is the NDC

Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, the Minority Spokesperson for Education, has wondered aloud how the government stated GHC400 million earmarked for the program will be enough to support its various intentions. “Even at the time that they approved the budget we told them that the 400 million was not enough. It was not going to meet the expected expenditure,” Nortso-Kotoe remarked. Politicking aside, Nortso-Kotoe has a point: the program is very ambitious, there isn’t a lot of wiggle room in the budget, and massive government initiatives aren’t known for coming in under budget.

 

NAGRAT says they’re ready for Free SHS … if the government is

The Vice President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Gabriel Kabournu, has come out and said that NAGRAT is ready to support the controversial Free SHS program. There is one caveat: NAGRAT support requires government assurance that funding will not be cut once the system gets off the ground. Basically, NAGRAT has now said what many other policy analysts have: this could be great for Ghana… provided the government actually pays for it.

 

Also…

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has asked parents and guardians of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates to confirm the choices of schools of their wards prior to the placement exercise wraps up in September.

LUCAS College, which aims to “bridge the gap between academia and industry,” has formally become a part of the Ghana education sector.