Volume 23

Eduwatch Statement On WASSCE 2023


On Monday October 9, Eduwatch released a statement following our observation of the conduct of the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), organised by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). The exams which commenced on Monday, July 31 with Project Work for Visual Arts candidates, ended on Tuesday September 26.

Eduwatch commended the collaboration between the National Intelligence Bureau and WAEC as facilitated by the Ministry of Education, leading to enhanced questions security which curbed questions leakages significantly. The reduced incidents of questions leakages however led to an escalation of exams centre fraud, which requires renewed response by strengthening exams centre external security.

The statement among others, highlighted the inadequate capacity of WAEC to deploy their external supervisors to all centers for all papers, the delay and denial of entry of WAEC external supervisors by some school authorities, as well as the urgent need to amend the WAEC law. Kindly access the statement via the link below:
https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/eduwatch-statement-on-wassce-2023

© Africa Education Watch

2023 WASSCE Malpractices: Expedite Prosecution Of Persons Arrested – Eduwatch

Education Think Tank, Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to expedite prosecution of candidates who misconducted themselves and were arrested during the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).

Eduwatch in a statement issued on Monday said though it welcomed the partnership between the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) and WAEC which enhanced the security of the WASSCE questions, there were still some security breaches, leading to the circulation of questions for Social Studies 1, Biology 2 and (Elective) Mathematics 2 papers on social media about 45 minutes ahead of the scheduled time for the examinations.

“While appreciating the swift investigations leading to the arrest of the culprits, we call for an expedited prosecution with outcomes made public,” it added.

The Education Think Tank also said all school heads/owners cited by WAEC for preventing their monitors from entering in real time must be sanctioned by the GES and the National Schools Inspectorate Authority with outcomes published.

Again, Eduwatch said it was imperative for the Ministry of Education to resource WAEC to recruit adequate Non-GES External Supervisors at every centre during every paper.

It further urged the Ghana Education Service (GES) to escalate the sanctions regime to an outright dismissal for teachers who misconducted themselves adding, “This would be the boldest ethical statement of the GES leadership against the participation of staff in examination malpractices and fraud.”

Eduwatch also urged government to amend the WAEC Law because sanctions in the original law were currently outdated.

“As far back as 2021, WAEC submitted at a stakeholder convening in Koforidua hosted by Parliament, with the Ministry of Education, Security Agencies and GES in attendance that, the sophistry in today’s examination malpractice and fraud was fast overtaking the deterrent relevance of the WAEC Act, 2006 (Act 719). The sanctions regime provided in the Law is significantly outdated, whereas the scope is too constricted to provide a responsive legal framework for a credible examination. This makes the pursuit of adequate sanctions/successful prosecution of examination malpractices/fraud culprits very challenging. The Ministry of Education must prioritise the amendment of the WAEC Law.”

Source: citinewsroom.com

Eduwatch Marks 4 Years Of Influencing Education Policy

On Wednesday October 18, we hosted partners at our office premises to mark our 4th year in existence as an education policy influencing organisation. Speaking on behalf of the Board, Management and Staff of Eduwatch, our Executive Director expressed our profound gratitude to stakeholders, funding and partner organisations who have supported our work since our inception some 4 years ago.

Partners including STAR-Ghana Foundation and the International Child Development Programme joined us for a brief cake-cutting ceremony to mark #Eduwatch@4.

© Africa Education Watch

Eduwatch Statement On The Akosombo Dam Spillage


On October 22, Eduwatch issued a statement following the devastating effects of the Akosombo Dam Spillage on some communities in the Volta region. Key among these, was the disruption to education related activities in some districts/communities, with the impact more pronounced in North Tongu, South Tongu and Pra East.

While sympathising with affected families, Eduwatch reiterated its call for an Education In Emergency Plan which was first made during the COVID-19 crisis. Eduwatch further called on the Ministry of Education to support the Ghana Education Service and the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schools to deploy pre-recorded learning content used during the COVID school closures to the affected areas.

The full statement is available via the link below:
https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/akosombo-dam-spillage-release

© Africa Education Watch

Eduwatch Participates In The Launch Of Actionaid's Country Strategy Paper VII

On Tuesday, October 31, Eduwatch joined ActionAid Ghana at the launch of their Country Strategy Paper (CSP) VII. The CSP VII seeks to achieve a just, feminist and resilient Ghana by offering equitable opportunities for all Ghanaians.

In a solidarity message delivered on behalf of Eduwatch, our Senior Programme Officer, Divine Kpe, acknowledged the tremendous work ActionAid Ghana has done over the years in tackling poverty, gender inequality and injustice. He expressed our appreciation for the lasting partnership with ActionAid Ghana over the years in promoting equitable access to basic education. He reiterated our readiness in being a healthy partner on the new CSP which seeks to promote equal education opportunity for every Ghanaian child, and promote climate justice through Ghana's education system.

The launch was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Academia, Civil Society, among others.

© Africa Education Watch

Education Alert Policy Brief - Volume 29

On Wednesday November 1, Eduwatch published Volume 29 of the Education Alert Policy Brief, authored by our former Intern from the York University, Ms. Eyram Agbe. In this edition, she reviews Ghana’s education sector disaster preparedness, and proposes a framework for delivering equitable education during disasters. The framework is built on pillars such as grassroots resilience, evidence-based responsiveness, reflexive curriculum design and a holistic child-centered wellbeing.

The Policy Brief, shared some useful lessons to guide government's response to the current Akosombo Dam Spillage and its effects on education services delivery in affected areas.

The brief can be accessed via the link below:
https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/policy-brief-vol-29

Thank you.

© Africa Education Watch

Eduwatch Participates In GETFund's 2023 Stakeholder Forum

On Tuesday November 7, Eduwatch participated in the annual Stakeholder Forum organised by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund). The theme for this year's forum was "Innovation: A must to achieving positive outcomes".

The Minister for Education, and special Guest of Honour at the Forum in his remarks, praised the Board and Management of GETFund for facilitating the building of numerous new schools, upgrading old ones, and also making prompt payments to contractors. He further indicated that GETFund had pioneered great transformation in the construction of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) schools, with great innovative infrastructure, aimed at supporting education delivery, with equal support of other funding partners. Dr. Adutwum also expressed the Ministry of Education's appreciation to GETFund for their contribution in the construction of additional hostels/accommodation units in Senior High Schools across the country.

The Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, also in a brief remark indicated that the annual stakeholder forum organised by GETFund presented an opportunity to join the education sector to recount their successes in impacting education service delivery.

In his presentation on the journey so far by GETFund, the Administrator, Dr. Richard Ampofo Boadu indicated that the Fund finds it necessary to engage and account to stakeholders on the use of public funds. He added that criticisms from stakeholders have shaped GETFund's approach over the years to be efficient in discharging its duties. Dr. Boadu used the opportunity to educate participants on GETFund's Sponsorship and Scholarship Programme, recount certain challenges the Fund was facing and what solutions have been proffered to ensure a way forward. He also addressed some misconceptions/myths about the Fund within the public domain, especially the media.

In series of panel discussions that followed, discussants stressed the need for an amendment of the GETFund Act to allow for current innovative conditions to be introduced, while impressing upon the Finance Minister to consider the concerns of major education sector stakeholders and uncap the GETFund to free funds for the provision of education infrastructure.

Eduwatch was represented by Snr. Programme Officer, Divine Kpe and Programme Officer, Kwasi Nimo Jnr. Contributing to a panel discussion, Divine stressed the need for funds made available to GETFund to be channeled/used for its intended purpose (education infrastructural development) instead of other government related expenditures. On the issue of the capping of GETFund, he indicated that a case needed to be made through advocacy and engagements with the Ministry of Finance, to regard the Education sector as a statutory sector, to ensure its removal from the list of Funds under the Capping and Realignment Act.

Participants were drawn from State and Non-State Institutions, Parliament, Tertiary Institutions, Civil Society, Youth Groups/Organisations, Academia and the Media.

© Africa Education Watch

Let's Talk Education Africa Podcast Hosts Eduwatch Executive Director

On the latest episode of the "Let's talk Education Africa" podcast published on Thursday November 9, the host, Senyo engaged our Executive Director, Kofi Asare in a discussion on Gender Responsiveness in Basic Education in Africa.

Mr. Asare, highlighted existing evidence across African countries and shared perspectives on policy and practice issues that influence the enrolment, retention and transition of boys and girls in basic education. He also proposed some recommendations for positioning education systems in Africa to be gender-responsive, and shared efforts by Eduwatch in working towards that goal.

The podcast is available via the link below:
https://lnkd.in/dmVe4z_P

© Africa Education Watch

Education System Lacks Disaster-Responsive Framework

The Ghana Education Service’s (GES) lack of a disaster-preparedness and response framework in the management of education at the pre-tertiary level has been identified as an impediment to academic work, especially in rural schools.

Ghana has made significant inroads with improving enrolment and gender parity at the basic and secondary levels; however, stark inequalities between urban and rural schools are often exacerbated by disasters because there is no structured, laid-down recovery process.

According to a recent report by the Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), schools are exposed to multitudes of hazards which continually threaten students’ access to equitable education; and these hazards, if unaddressed, may exacerbate the consequences of larger disaster events in schools and their wider communities.

The report mentioned that beyond COVID-19, three notable disasters – fire outbreaks, poor school infrastructure and perennial flooding – have frequently posed serious threats to students but were handled haphazardly, leading to some school dropouts.

The Eduwatch Policy brief, authored by Eyram A. Agbe, revealed that for instance in the Central Region, a sample of 70 schools in the Cape Coast metropolis found only 10 percent of dormitories had emergency exit signs, and only 30 percent had fire extinguishers readily available.

“Fire outbreaks are prevalent in public Senior High Schools (SHS) across the country. In the first month of 2023 alone, a fire devastated three SHSs in the Upper West Region – with two outbreaks at the Wa Senior High Technical School occurring in a span of 24 hours. Existing research points to serious deficiencies in fire safety management at schools across the country,” she stated.

On the perennial flooding front, the report indicated that it is a significant hazard for Ghana’s education system – greatly affecting schools in rural and urban areas alike. Schools are often completely flooded during rainy seasons, making them no-go areas for teachers and students.

The current Akosombo Dam spillage exercise in the southern sector has affected over 70 basic schools; and Bagre Dam spillage activities in the northern sector have also posed a longstanding risk to students, because they miss school due to continual evacuations.

“This is the case for students who live along the White Volta River, who experience flooding and evacuation annually due to Bagre Dam spillages. Students in informal settlements across the country are particularly vulnerable to the impact of flooding, as their communities’ infrastructure suffers from disputes between city development officials and residents.

The poor school infrastructure menace has been a long-standing and keeps getting worse annually. There are currently over 5,400 schools existing under trees and dilapidated structures in Ghana, despite interventions such as the Schools Under Trees and Emergency Interventions programmes.

Ensuring Equitable Education in Disasters

Across these three major hazards relevant to Ghana’s education system, certain issues prevail. For one, school development occurs in silos because schools are not seen as part of the communities where they are located.

Capping the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) – which is the main source of funding for education infrastructure, presents a worrying reality for Ghana’s disaster risk management in education. With limited funding for the maintenance and construction of new school blocks, schools are less prepared to handle disasters – and pupils are more likely to fall through the cracks upon re-entry/reopening.

A model for equitable education in disasters

A disaster management framework that integrates guiding principles for robust approaches to education including grassroots resilience, evidence-based responsiveness, reflexive curriculum design and holistic child-centred well-being is required to address the challenge.

Ghana’s disaster risk profile is well-documented. What’s less investigated is sustaining communities and school systems through disasters, to ensure that vulnerable students remain at the centre of education programming.

Among others, the report recommended that the GES implement an Education in Emergency Plan (EEP) in all districts to enhance education on disaster-preparedness.

Additionally, the Ministry of Education, GES, and National Disaster Management Organisation must work closely to develop a disaster data reporting and response system for schools and their communities. Data collected should be open source to allow Civil Society Organisations and the general public to better understand the nuances of disasters in Ghana’s education system.

Source: thebftonline.com