A lot of things have been said about education all over the world; the common denominator of all of those speeches, ideas and quotes is the fact that Education is Light. Education lights up a person’s life; when it is introduced into a room, it lights up the room. Information turns conversations around; Knowledge changes destinies; education is indeed the light of the world.

Malala Yousafzai said that one child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Horace Mann, a pioneer of American public schools also said that education is a great leveler. Granted, then what happens when some people are denied access to education, especially when they will compete in the same spaces with others who have had access to quality education?

The result is all around us. Crime, begging, teenage pregnancies, you name them. As populations grow, if this challenge of inequitable education is not tackled radically, the marginalized minority increases in numbers and we have a ripple effect in various sectors of our economy.

Personally affected by some of these worrying trends, I chose to join this all important campaign and adopt a radical approach as my contribution towards education in Ghana.

The main goal of the #Eduspike campaign is a clarion call for an increased investment in public basic education so that the multifaceted challenges our public basic schools are facing will be halted, radically reduced and totally eradicated over time.

Sardonically, during the onset of COVID-19, over 60,000 pupils dropped out of school because some 222 Low Cost Private Schools they subscribed to could not survive. While some have been able to re-enroll, most of these pupils are unable to re-enroll because existing public schools within their reach are all full, while surviving private schools are beyond their financial reach.

Government must act to rescue these children from dropping out from basic education. The state has an obligation to ensure the re-entry of all children, whether they attend Low Cost Private Schools or Public Schools. Afterall, these Ghanaian children would not have subscribed to Low Cost Private Schools in the first place if public schools were available and accessible in their communities.

We the campaigners onboard Eduspike believe that with an increased investment in public basic education, there will be adequate provision of infrastructure, teaching and learning materials, improved supervision and better teaching and learning conditions that will enhance the delivery of quality and accessible public basic education in Ghana. It is possible, it is doable, Yes We Can!

Join Africa Education Watch, NUGS, AASU, CAPCOE and OXFAM as we voice out for improvement of our public basic education. Education is a right of every child; It is not a privilege.

Thank you!