Focus on improving conditions of students, not politics - Apaak to NAPO

The Member of Parliament for Busia South Dr Clement Apaak has asked Education Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh to focus on how deprived schools and students can improve teaching and learning amid the Covid-19 pandemic instead of political expediences.

The Education Minister on Tuesday updated parliament on the policies and achievements of government as far as education in the country was concerned.

He amongst other things alleged that the erstwhile NDC administration did not provide a single textbook during their eight-year term in office.

However, the deputy ranking member on the Committee of Education believes the real issues are not being addressed, noting “sometimes we shouldn’t let political expediency take us away from some of the basic needs that the people who have entrusted us with their power expect from us.

“One would have expected that in this era of COVID, the fact that rural students, particularly students from less endowed and deprived parts of this country have to go through would have been addressed.”

He added: “We know that those of us who are privileged to have our wards in international schools and all of that, they can use zoom platforms and their digital platforms to continue teaching and learning, what of the rest of the population.”

“The minister comes to speak about, You know, innovative ways. What are we doing, even in spite of all the challenges that we facing, what are the timelines, are we going to start looking what is happening, are we going to keep the schools shut, are we going to deploy technology to ensure that every person of school-going age is going to catch up for teaching and learning to continue,” he quizzed.

“These are the things that we should be talking about, not buying past questions in excess of 400,000 for students, and trying to pretend as though everything is nice and trying to come and harsh old issues which have been put to rest. Let’s look at what we are going to do moving forward,” he ended.