STAR-Ghana Foundation Leads the Charge in Education Reform Ahead of National Education Forum
In a bid to shape the future of Ghana’s education sector, STAR-Ghana Foundation and its partners have organized a forum focused on education, ahead of the upcoming National Education Forum.
The event brings together Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to coordinate their efforts, present a unified front on key educational issues, and provide a solid foundation for the government to consider in its new policies.
According to Raymond Danso, Manager of the Rights to Social Services Portfolio at STAR-Ghana Foundation, “This forum provides a unique opportunity for CSOs to prioritize the key issues, identify effective solutions, and develop new alternatives to address the challenges facing the education sector. We are committed to ensuring that the government’s commitments to education sector reforms are tracked and implemented effectively.”
The forum aims to address key areas such as education finance, infrastructure, teacher deployment, and development. One of the key outcomes is the development of a tracking tool to monitor the government’s commitment to education sector reforms. This tool will enable CSOs to hold the government accountable for its manifesto promises and ensure that progress is made in improving the educational sector.
Danso emphasized that “previous efforts by individual CSOs have been fragmented, and it’s time for us to work together in a coordinated manner to drive reforms and improve the education sector. We need to ensure that our efforts are coordinated, effective, and sustainable. By doing so, we can create a better future for all Ghanaians.”
The initiative is part of a broader effort by STAR-Ghana Foundation and its partners to improve the education sector in Ghana. Similar events have been conducted in northern Ghana, covering five regions, to identify priority areas and develop coordinated efforts to address the challenges facing the education sector.
With the National Education Forum on the horizon, stakeholders are optimistic that their recommendations will be factored into the government’s policies.
As Danso noted, “We are very optimistic that something good will happen, but we need to work together, be committed to what we say we will do, and ensure that there are resources to support our efforts. We also need to make sure that citizens are involved in the decision-making process and that their voices are heard.
The importance of this initiative cannot be overstated, as Ghana’s education sector faces numerous challenges. By bringing together CSOs and other stakeholders, Star Ghana Foundation is helping to create a unified front that can advocate for meaningful change.
As Danso emphasized, “Accountability is critical in the education sector. Citizens deserve improved quality services, and government has a responsibility to deliver. We need to work together to ensure that the right things are being done, and that we are moving in the right direction.”
At the forum, it evident that Ghana’s education sector is still grappling with significant challenges, including a persistent textbook deficit and financial barriers that hinder access to quality education, particularly for students from low-income households.
Despite introducing a new curriculum in 2019, the country still faces a significant shortage of textbooks, with only 65% of required textbooks available in core subjects. Some districts, such as Savelugu, have no textbooks for certain subjects. This shortage affects the quality of teaching and learning, especially in underserved schools and deprived districts.
Furthermore, the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, introduced in 2017, has been successful in enrolling 2.5 million students. However, a significant number of students (250,000) could not honour their admissions due to financial constraints.
A recent report by Eduwatch reveals that the average annual government spending per student under the Free SHS policy was GHC 1,241, while parents spent GHC 4,185. This raises concerns about financial access barriers to children from low-income households, who spend below GHC 8,000 per year.
The cost of honouring admission into SHS for the 2022/23 academic year was over GHC 6,477, which is beyond the reach of children from the poorest income quintile households.
Experts are calling for the Free SHS policy to be targeted more effectively to support children from low-income households, ensuring that they have equal access to quality education.
