Haruna, Opoku, Agbodza Ministerial Vetting: Some key areas the committee could focus on

The Minister of Education-designate, Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Roads and Highways-designate, Kwame Governs Agbodza, and the Minister of Food and Agriculture-designate, Eric Opoku, will appear before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Monday, January 20, 2025, to be vetted on their respective sectors.

The nomination of Haruna Iddrisu by President John Dramani Mahama to helm the affairs of the education sector has received mixed reactions from the general public.

Ahead of his vetting, these are some of the focus areas the nominee is expected to address:

Free SHS

One major challenge facing the implementation of the Free SHS initiative is its funding and sustainability. Some members of the public, including Haruna Iddrisu himself, have argued that parents and guardians who can afford to pay fees for their wards should be required to do so, in order to reduce the burden on state finances.

Addressing the floor of Parliament on March 22, 2023, he stated categorically that, “Ghana needs to take UNESCO’s advice on secondary education. How accessible is it, its quality, and if we are running a secondary education system that produces quantity over quality?

“Mr Speaker, my controversial point is Ghana needs a needs test to determine who can pay and who cannot pay for education. This political thing of wanting to please everybody at the detriment of quality will hound this country in the next decade if we don’t look back,” he said as captured by JoyNews.

In light of these concerns, Haruna Iddrisu will be expected to provide answers on how he plans to secure funding for the program and identify effective strategies for its long-term sustainability.

Free tuition for first-year students of tertiary institutions

The NDC during its campaign promised to scrap the payment of academic fees for all first-year students at the tertiary level in public universities.

According to the party, this policy is part of a broader set of reforms aimed at making higher education more accessible to all, particularly for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Haruna Iddrisu, will be expected to speak on how the government and his ministry if approved will secure funding for the policy’s implementation.

Curriculum

In August 2024, EDUWATCH called for an urgent review of Ghana’s education curriculum to align it with international standards, expressing concerns that the current curriculum has become stagnant, with much of its content being outdated. The committee could question him on it.

Teacher welfare

The nominee's vision for reforming the welfare of teachers in the country, particularly addressing their low remuneration, could improve his chances of being approved if he effectively addresses these concerns.

For the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the NDC’s manifesto outlined some key initiatives which the committee could focus on. They are:

1. Support for poultry startups

During his campaign, President John Dramani Mahama pledged to support startups in poultry and other small businesses, emphasising that his initiative aims to tackle the rising unemployment rate in Ghana by providing crucial support to small business ventures.

As part of his plan, Mahama promised to offer incentives, including day-old chicks (Nkokɔ Nkitinkiti), to poultry farmers.

2. Agriculture for economic transformation agenda

This is expected to address issues like low investment in agriculture, low production and productivity, limited markets, food insecurity among others.

3. Planting for food and jobs

The initiative, which was a flagship program of the previous Akufo-Addo-led government, may come up during the vetting.

The aim of the flagship program was to help address the declining growth of the agricultural sector.

The nominee, Eric Opoku, could be asked how his office plans to ensure the sustainability of the project and secure its funding.

Kwame Governs Agbodza is the nominee for the roads and highways ministry and for his sector, some possible focus areas could be on;

Road Tolls:

The NDC government has hinted at reintroducing road tolls that were initially cancelled under the previous government so he will be quizzed on how the government intends to implement the policy.

Roads infrastructure

Given the current poor condition of many major roads, Agbodza could be asked about his plans for addressing these issues and what new projects he aims to secure for the country.

MAG/EK

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