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He says the right stuff
During a speech recognizing the 90th anniversary of the Achimota School, President Akufo-Addo acknowledged the opportunities to recalibrate Ghana. The Achimota School is regarded as the top school in Ghana, with a lengthy list of influential alumni in both the public (e.g., 5 of Ghana’s 8 civilian presidents) and private sector. And so it seemed like the perfect audience to ask some difficult questions about the state of the nation. And he was quite direct in doing so: “I believe it is good for our national health that we all engage in some plain talking, and even question things we have always taken for granted… Why is it that 60 years after our independence, so many of our compatriots are still so poor and the state of our infrastructure is still so abysmal?” He addressed a host of issues—some related to education, some more general. He voiced his preference for independent thinking over rote learning. He promised “urgent attention” to the problem of encroachment on school lands. He ended his speech by challenging the current students to seize every opportunity to ensure a bright future for Ghana.
NPP budget doesn’t please everyone
Naturally, when President Akufo-Addo’s government released its first budget, there were likely to be some who felt it was misguided. Unsurprisingly, the minority party of Parliament was dissatisfied, using “monumental deception” as a descriptor. Heated rhetoric aside, the minority party had some very legitimate gripes. And if scathing attacks of legislation yield improved policy, then complain away. Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, questioned the inequity that arises from the free SHS promise being applicable only to new SHS entrants. What he was arguably more displeased with, though, was what was not included in the budget. Despite promises stating that all day students will be fed at school, there was no mention of this in the budget. Additionally, he lamented the shrinking of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) in order to free up budgetary space for the free SHS initiative.
GHEF turns ten
The tenth Ghana Higher Education Fair (GHEF) has gotten underway in Takoradi this week. The annual event is a collaborative initiative between I-Texon Ghana, the Ministry of Education (MoE), and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE). The stated goal is to bring the various higher education stakeholders together to try and solve some of Ghana’s education problems. The fair, aimed at both public and private senior high school (SHS) students, is as much an opportunity for prospective college students to learn about how to get off to an effective start at university as anything else.
Also…
Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance, gave a speech that hinted at a government-backed pivot away from rote learning.
Interesting article highlighting the role that private universities play in the education ecosystem.
Professor gave a lecture at the University of Cape Coast looking at the negative consequences of changing District Directors of Education so frequently.
A nice tribute to the former headmistress of the Aburi Girls’ Senior High School, Rosemond Bampo, acknowledging her lifelong dedication to education.
Congrats to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology SHS (KNUST) for winning the 60th anniversary debate competition.