60% pupils cannot read and write

FUTURE OF HOPELESSNESS

-As over 60% pupils cannot read and write

Indications are clear that the nation is gradually building a future of

hopelessness with little or no focus on the quality of education. The situation

appears to be getting worse, with the Government slashing its share of funding

in investment in education (called Item 4) by 50.11% this year, administration

(item 2) by 10.37% and services (item 3) by 15.37%.

A report released by the Ghana Education Service indicates that sixty four per

cent of pupils across the country cannot read and write. The report shows an

even worse performance of the pupils in numeracy.

The answers can be found in the disproportionate allocation of resources,

according to policy think tank, the Danquah Institute. Typically, for 2011,

96.40% of total Government funding for Education is for personal emoluments,

with only 2.03% for administration, 1.42% for services and 0.15% for investment.

A report seen by the New Statesman argues, “To maintain an educational system

when administration costs are placed at only 2% of the budget is difficult. To

expect that a national system of education can also grow, develop capacity and

institute reforms at this same level is unrealistic.”

Another dangerous consequence of the lack of commitment to the provision of

quality education is the prevailing trend of 50% of Junior High School pupils

failing in their Basic Education Certificate Examinations, with a similar number

failing their West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination at the

Senior High School level.

This translates into two-thirds of Ghana’s future leaders being thrown out onto

the streets to face a future pregnant with uncertainties, generated by lack of

skills and lack of basic understanding of Mathematics and English, the basic

tools in life.

Analysts and experts predict that the situation could be worse in the near

future if the Mills-led National Democratic Congress remains adamant to its cost

saving measures in the educational sector.

Actual allocations from the GETFUND to the Ministry of Education has decreased

by 16% (GHc51.5 million), as compared to 2010 allocations.

Also, no budgetary allocations have been made for teacher incentives this year

to improve teacher attendance, the completion of schools under trees programme,

book and research allowances, the provision of infrastructure for Senior High

Schools, and rehabilitating and upgrading of all 26 technical schools.

The amount allocated under the renamed HIPC programme (now Social Intervention

Programme) of GHc102.9 million is not enough to keep up with inflation. As a

result, the School Feeding programme has been cut 8.09% in real terms, from

GHc50m to GHc45.9m. The Capitation Grant and BECE subsidy have also been slashed

this year by 6.79% from GHc35.5m to Ghc33m.

Also, money for uniforms and textbooks has been reduced this year by 24.41%,

from GHc12.16m to GHc9.19m. In total, the budget allocation for social

intervention programmes in Education has gone down by 7.88% in real terms and

0.22% in nominal terms.

Making these figures available to the New Statesman, the Executive Director of

the Danquah Institute, Asare Otchere-Darko lamented, “Is it not ironic and

damaging for the ordinary Ghanaian child and parent that it has taken a

so-called Social Democratic government to cut down on all these necessary social

programmes for the critical education of our children?”

Mr Otchere-Darko points out that it is estimated that 1005 of kindergarten

classrooms and 25% of both primary and junior high school classrooms are in need

of major repair. However, budgetary provisions for building works generally go

towards the construction of new buildings, leaving existing buildings

dilapidating.

“It is also worrying evidence that contract cost for the construction of 6-unit

classroom blocks have shot up as much as 150% in some cases from Ghc80,000 to

Ghc250,000,” the DI head states.

Since the Law Professor took office in 2009, the nation’s education has been

going downhill.

The Ministry of Education has a new 10-year Education Strategic Plan. What

stands out of this policy is the government’s obsession with cost saving

measures and commitment to enhance public financial management in the sector.

Ghana’s education spending which was 7.93% of GDP in 2010 and 7.57% in 2011 is

seen by the Mills administration as too high and therefore must be brought down

irrespective of its consequence on our the nation’s quest to building the youth

for the future.

The Ghana National Education Coalition believes the abysmally low performance in

literacy and numeracy captured in the GES report must not be taken lightly, but

viewed with all the seriousness it deserves.

Speaking on Accra-based Joy FM Monday, Coordinator of the Coalition, Leslie

Tetteh, regretted that even though the country had over the years improved on

the enrolment levels, it had failed woefully in terms of providing quality

education.

“You will notice that we are doing well; access to education is quite high but

when it comes to quality, how are people doing in literacy and numeracy. These

are the figures we are getting and they translate into poor BECE results,” he

lamented.

According to him, there have been numerous complaints about candidates of BECE

who are unable to write their names which is a sad commentary of the education

in Ghana.

Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Education,

Winneba told Joy News "the report is not strange at all."

He noted that it had always known secret that standards of education in the

country had fallen so low, adding that the situation must be a source of worry

to all.

Prof Anamuah-Mensah attributed the fallen standards to the paucity of teachers

in the sector, adding that matters had been made worse by the failure to

adequately motivate teachers to give off their best.

The 2012 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo has

indicated that his programme for Education will put the teacher first.

“What the youth of our country require can be brought down to three basic

things: education, skills and jobs. Without the foundation of quality education

the other two become a chanced struggle and the quality of tuition a child

receives before the age of 16 can make or break his or her future,” the NPP

flagbearer said.

“We do not intend to make it merely impossible to leave school after JHS; we are

determined to tackle the more important issue of the quality of education that

we offer to our future leaders. This means at the heart of our Education Policy

will be what we have called, 'Teachers First'. We are determined to put the

needs of the teacher and hence the quality of tuition for our children at the

very heart of the next NPP policy on education,” says Nana Akufo-Addo.