On Thursday October 26, Eduwatch, as part of a CSO-Academia delegation, met with the Minister for Finance to make inputs into the 2024 budget ahead of its reading on November 15. The meeting was part of pre-budget engagements hosted by the Finance ministry prior to the presentation of the 2024 budget to Parliament.

Eduwatch was represented by our Executive Director, Kofi Asare. In series of submissions, he noted that, the quality deficits being reported at the tertiary level are due to foundational gaps at the basic level, arising partly from low investments in public basic education.

He thus urged the Ministry of Finance to increase the GHC 38 million budget ceiling for Capitation Grant to GHC 60 million, to cover the about six (6) million public school pupils in line with the GHC 10 per head that was approved as far back as 2018. Mr. Asare further submitted that, the real value of the GHC 10 per head per year Capitation Grant has reduced from six exercise books in 2018 to only two due to inflation, adding that refusing to allocate the full GHC 10, that is about GHC 60 million was appalling.

He emphasized that, in the 2023 main budget, there was no significant Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) allocation to basic education, and bemoaned the repercussion on Ghana’s 1.4 million out-of-school children who cannot enroll if radical investment is not made in new basic schools. Mr. Asare further submitted that, Ghana needs 2,000 new basic schools in underserved communities like Adentan, and to achieve that, a significant CAPEX allocation to basic education in the 2024 main budget is required.

On tertiary institutions, Mr. Asare decried the abandoned projects, especially in Colleges of Education due to the liquidity challenges of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) created by the Ministry of Finance. He thus recommended that the Ministry should work with GETFund to develop a continuity plan and increase funding through the realigned coffers from the capping policy. He also urged the Finance Minister to scrap the wasteful teacher and nursing trainees allowance policy which costs GHC 700 million annually only to produce labour for foreign countries, and advised that, all tertiary students should enroll on the students' loan scheme, while calling on government to resource the scheme for enhanced responsiveness.

© Africa Education Watch

Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), from Monday November 6 to Friday November 10, participated in a National Teacher Education Curriculum Framework review workshop. The one week workshop aimed at developing a framework to guide the development of a curriculum for student teachers being trained by faculties of education to teach in Senior High Schools (SHS).

The development of the National Teacher Education Curriculum Framework is one of the critical steps towards operationalising the new SHS Curriculum as it provides the framework for training teachers to effectively teach this curriculum in SHSs. Eduwatch’s participation in the workshop, was mainly influenced by our interest in pursuing gender responsive and transformative pre-tertiary education systems in Ghana which include the existence of a gender-responsive National Teacher Education Curriculum Framework.

We posit that, it is critical to ensure the curriculum used to train teachers is sufficiently gender-responsive and has the potential to achieve gender transformative education by producing gender-responsive teachers capable of managing the classroom and school environment in a gender responsive manner, while achieving gender transformation in education.

The workshop was organized under the auspices of the National Teaching Council and the Ministry of Education, with support from T-TEL.

© Africa Education Watch

On Friday November 10, Eduwatch participated in STAR-Ghana Foundation's Active Citizenship Lecture, held at the British Council. The 2023 edition, which also coincides with Star Ghana's 5th Anniversary was themed, "Empowering Citizens, Enriching Nation Building; Fostering Active Citizenship for Sustainable Development in Ghana."

Addressing participants at the lecture, the Chairperson of STAR-Ghana's Governing Council, Dr. Esther Ofei-Aboagye stated that Ghana is at a stage where the modes of political party and citizenship engagement are evolving, with Ghanaians increasingly being interested to see their rights and responsibilities materialise. She added that as part of STAR-Ghana's drive to mobilise resources locally, the Foundation is actively promoting volunteerism as well as local philanthropy.

The Keynote address for the Lecture was delivered by former Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas. He begun his address with a tribute to the late Ghanaian lawyer Akoto Ampaw, and urged participants to recommit to being active citizens, and be the change they wish to see in Ghana. He added that, together, we can build a brighter future for our country where progress and prosperity are the birth rights of every Ghanaian. He concluded his address by imploring citizens to observe and prioritise peace as Ghana heads to the polls in 2024, adding that citizens must focus on the messages of candidates and eschew violence.

A panel discussion followed, where discussants decried the disconnectedness of policy makers from issues affecting marginalised groups and the ordinary citizen. They stressed the need for a critical mass who are willing to act in the interest of the nation. The discussants also iterated the need to build systems of solidarity and activism as part of active citizenship, and collectively create mechanisms to provide a sense of comfort and support for people who indulge in activism.

Some key personalities at the Lecture included former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana - Professor George Akilagpa Sawyerr, Lawyer and Activist - Oliver Barker-Vormawor and the Founder and Convenor of the Alliance For Women in Media Africa - Shamima Muslim. Participants were drawn from Civil Society, Academia, Corporate Ghana and the Media. Eduwatch was represented by Programme Officer, Kwasi Nimo Jnr.

© Africa Education Watch

On November 14, Eduwatch joined the leaders of other Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for a meeting with Mr. Alan Kyerematen, a 2024 Independent Presidential Candidate for the newly formed group, Movement For Change. The aim of the meeting was to offer Mr. Kyerematen the opportunity to share his "Great Transformative Plan" with the CSOs while eliciting ideas for shapening his vision of leading Ghana.

Key highlights on his agenda for education included as follows:
1. Review the free Senior High School (SHS) policy to make it targeted;
2. Prioritise funding to basic education;
3. Institutionalise the link between industry, academia and educational institutions; and
4. Review and revamp the concept of Community Day SHS.

Eduwatch was represented by its Snr. Programme Officer, Divine Kpe. Other CSOs in attendance included IMANI Ghana, Ghana First Coalition, Crusaders Against Coalition, Fix The Country Movement, Democracy Hub, and Parliamentary Network-Africa.

© Africa Education Watch

On Friday November 17, Eduwatch issued a statement as part of our preliminary review of the 2024 Education Budget presented to Parliament on Wednesday November 15, by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

In the budget, government projects a total public expenditure of GHC 226 billion - an amount higher than the GHC 190 billion in the previous (2023) year's budget by 19%. Based on the principles of allocative efficiency and Ghana's international commitment to education and its financing, Eduwatch made observations including the following:

1. Out of a projected government expenditure of GHC 226 billion, GHC 32.7 billion, representing 14.5%, was allocated to the education sector. This is not only lower than the 23% pledge of President Akufo-Addo to World Leaders, but also lower than the 2023 Sub-Saharan African average of 15.5% and UNESCO’s minimum target of 20%.

2. With a projected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of GHC 1.05 trillion in 2024, the allocation of GHC 32.7 billion to education represents a 3.3% education sector share of GDP, which is lower than UNESCO’s target of 6% and Sub-Saharan Africa’s average of 5%.

3. The GHC 32.7 billion allocation to education nominally represents a 32% increase from the 2023 allocation of GHC 24.7 billion. However, in real terms, the 35% inflationary impact reduces the real value to GHC 21.2 billion.

4. Of the total allocation to education, about GHC 22.50 billion, representing 68.8% is earmarked for salaries and related expenses, i.e., Compensation of Employees, compared to 65% in the main 2023 budget.

5. Of the total allocation to education, GHC 985 million, representing 3% of the total education allocation is earmarked for Capital Expenditure - education infrastructure, compared to 0.1% in the 2023 main budget.

In addition to expressing appreciation for the creation of a separate budget line for Capitation Grant by the Ministry of Finance, as well as its unprecedented full allocation; the increased allocation to compensation to enable the recruitment of more teachers in 2024 while paying education workers economically reasonable salaries; and the increased allocation to the GSFP, Eduwatch called for:

1. An increase in the per unit allocation from the current GHC 1.2 per meal for basic school pupils under the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), to GHC 3, to help mitigate the impact of high food inflation. Efforts should be made to deepen transparency in the GSFP, while fully decentralizing its management to local authorities.

2. The Ministry of Education to ensure at least 60% of the 2024 GETFund budgetary allocation goes into financing education infrastructure, with priority to basic education.

3. Strengthened transparency and accountability in the utilization of the Capitation Grant at the district and school levels, as the strict alignment of the Capitation Grant to School Performance Improvement Plans is critical to ensure effective spending towards improving learning outcomes at the school level.

The full statement is available via the link below:
https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/eduwatch-statement-on-the-2024-education-budget

© Africa Education Watch

Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) on Monday November 20, published a report on textbooks tracking in public primary schools in Ghana. The report was compiled from a study aimed at examining the availability of textbooks, exercise books and other teaching and learning resources in public primary schools to inform the strengthening of systems, policies and budgets. In all, 20 districts from the north, middle and southern belts of Ghana were purposively selected for the study.

Key findings in the report include:
1. Out of the over 1 million core (English Language, Mathematics, Science and Creative Arts) textbooks required for the 270,134 pupils in the 20 selected districts, only 680,672 (62%) were available, leaving a deficit of 339,864 (38%).

2. Since 2018, none of the schools in the sampled districts received exercise books from the local or central government.

3. In the Tatale Sanguli district in northern Ghana, about 14 per cent of pupils did not have a single exercise book.

4. In the Greater Accra region, schools had Mathematics textbooks for Basic 1 to 6 pupils, while in the sampled northern districts, only 1 district (Nabdam) had Mathematics textbooks in schools, which were even limited to only Basic 1 to 3 pupils.

5. There were no Creative Arts textbooks for Basic 4, 5 and 6 pupils across the 20 sampled districts.

The report makes recommendations including the following:
1. The Ministry of Finance should release the GHC 85 million allocated for textbooks under the approved 2023 GETFund formulae to facilitate the procurement of extra textbooks for 2023, and make provision in the 2024 budget for the deficit of GHC 115 million required for textbooks in basic schools.

2. The Ministry of Education and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment should fast-track the development and procurement of textbooks for Junior High Schools in the new curriculum.

3. The GES must ensure that any future distribution of textbooks prioritises districts with high deficits to attain a balanced Pupil-Textbook Ratio among the various districts.

4. District Education Offices must map out schools within their districts with excess textbooks and retrieve same for redistribution to schools with deficits.

5. The MoE must re-introduce the free exercise book policy for public basic schools.

The report was developed by Eduwatch with support from Oxfam, and can be accessed via the link below:
https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/report-on-textbook-tracking-in-public-schools

© Africa Education Watch

Eduwatch has received complaints from some parents over the last week about their fear of the Ghana Education Service (GES) punishing their Junior High School (JHS 2) children who wrote the 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). Their apprehension apparently arises from a GES circular asking headteachers to provide data on absentee students during the BECE week. Data on candidates that wrote the BECE from outside JHS 3 is necessary for any comprehensive cohort survival analysis.

The parents are however worried that the GES will negatively influence their wards’ BECE results or place them in low category SHS as punishment. We wish to assure parents that, per our understanding of the assessment and certification system, the GES cannot influence BECE results produced by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

The School Placement System is not a punishment tool. It places based on merit, with limited protocol allocations. We are not aware of any criteria that seeks to punish non-JHS 3 candidates.

Per media commentary by some Ministry of Education (MoE)/GES Officers on the subject matter, it appears that there is a policy position against non-JHS 3 students writing BECE. It also appears however, that parents are quite ignorant of the policy.

Eduwatch would greatly appreciate access to the policy (if written) and possibly review same. The MoE must communicate and justify clearly to stakeholders, especially parents, its policy position on non-JHS 3 students writing BECE in both private and public schools.

It would be very useful for stakeholders to engage the said policy to achieve a wider acceptance and compliance level, based on its merit. For planning purposes, non-JHS 3 students sitting for BECE may affect fund allocation to secondary education, since expenditure projections at that level are made using JHS 3 enrolment data, not an unpredictable JHS 1 and 2 group of candidates.

We however urge parents to keep calm, as there is no need for apprehension, since the GES is in no capacity to influence BECE results produced and issued by WAEC.

© Africa Education Watch