Actualization of Nana Addo’s vision on education

By Hon Prof {Emeritus} Samuel K. Amoako, MP, Akim Abuakwa North

 

There has been a lot of talk about education in the media regarding the Free Senior High School Policy initiative as expounded and propagated by Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, the Flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).  This policy initiative is also the NPP position on education as indicated in the party’s 2012 Manifesto. There have been several schools of thought on how the diverse challenges of education should be tackled, and indeed how the whole enterprise of education and its development should be approached and improved.  This short paper will not attempt to solve all the challenges facing education in Ghana.  Rather, it will try to discuss the imperatives of free senior high school education, and how the policy initiative can be actualized from the stand point that it can be implemented, given the resources of Ghana and the will and focus of a determined and competent government.  I draw my strength and inspiration from the doctoral dissertation I wrote several years ago on the topic: “Financing Education: A Case of the Boarding School System in Ghana”.(Dec, 1986).

Education is, by definition, the inculcation of a system of cultural beliefs and practices into a generation of people to enable them to exploit the resources of their environment for their survival and for their development.  This definition presupposes that there can be no meaningful and sustainable development of a country without education.  For a people to take advantage of their environment and exploit their God-given resources and endowment, education should be designed to relate to the environment, in terms of developing skills and talents of the citizenry to make use of the available resources.  Furthermore, education by this definition, does not limit its dimensions to formal education, or education that takes place within the four walls of a classroom or a school edifice.

Ghana’s 1992 Constitution specifies in Article 25(1) that:”All persons shall have the right to equal educational opportunities and facilities and with a view to achieving the full realization of that right;

(a) basic education shall be free, compulsory and available to all;

(b) secondary education in its different forms, including technical and vocational education, shall be made generally available and accessible to all by every appropriate means, and in particular, by progressive introduction of free education”.

This provision presupposes that basic education is a fundamental human right of every Ghanaian child.  Furthermore, Article 25 (1)(b) quoted above requires of the government to make secondary education, including technical and vocational education, generally available and accessible.  It is the latter part of this provision that is significant for our discussion; namely, that every appropriate means should be used to make the availability and accessibility possible.  Nana Addo’s vision ensures availability and accessibility via the fee free secondary education initiative or policy.  I like to believe that the policy will be implemented in a progressive pragmatic manner to achieve success.

The bedrock or foundation of all development, and indeed the transformation of any economy rests on education.  That is why education is so critical and has become the cornerstone of the transformational agenda of the Akufo-Addo vision.  The entire economy can be transformed and modernized if education is overhauled and designed to meet the futuristic demands and needs of Ghana’s economy.

The decision to make secondary education free for all is part of the whole idea of the educational rearrangement and positional re-focusing of the transformational agenda of the economy.  In the foreword to the NPP Manifesto, the flag bearer of the NPP states that “our education policy is the key to both individual and national development, and will be the priority of my Presidency” (p. ii).  The objective of the Akufo-Addo presidency is to prioritize education because it offers the best tool for social mobility and social equity.  The aim is to “build a competent, confident, educated society, where access to education will not be determined by the circumstances of your birth” (p. 20).

The NPP Manifesto makes education a priority and the focus of its transformational agenda.  The aim at the primary and secondary school levels is to get all our children to be functionally literate, numerate and ICT competent, among other things.  That explains why basic education has been re-defined.

 

Basic Education Re-defined

Currently, basic education terminates at the Junior High School level.  Nana Akufo-Addo’s vision as expressed in the NPP Manifesto redefines basic education as beginning from Kindergarten and terminating at the Senior High School level.  The thinking behind this re-definition arises from the fact that over fifty per cent of Ghanaian children who sit the BECE do not progress to secondary school.  There is therefore the unacceptable situation where 150,000 Ghanaian children are thrown out of the system.  “There are approximately 3.8 million persons of secondary school age in Ghana of which 1.2 million are enrolled in 415 public secondary schools and 100 privately owned and managed ones.  Less than half of our children are in secondary school.” (p.23)  At the time I conducted the research for my doctoral dissertation in 1986, there were only 255 public secondary schools.  The societal and educational imperatives have changed drastically.  To solve the access problem, Nana’s visionary initiative of free secondary education will be extended to every Ghanaian child.  This is a constitutional mandate.   It is policy that will transform the constitutional requirement into reality.  Without policy initiatives, constitutional requirements remain unattainable wishes.

The concept of free education is not mutually exclusive from the ideals of quality education.  The erroneous impression being created in some circles that free education in not compatible with quality education is misleading and neither here nor there.  In fact, free secondary education is not antagonistic to quality education; it can even allow for quality education.  What is important and indeed imperative, and can promote quality education remains the provision of the necessary resources and the output of well trained, motivated and closely supervised teachers.  A focused and determined government which makes education a priority, devotes adequate resources to education, and trains and motivates teachers, can therefore have qualitative, free education.  The provision of the relevant educational infrastructure should of necessity be part of the entire policy of free secondary school education.  They are not mutually exclusive.

 

The History of Free Secondary Education

Ghana has a history of free secondary school education.  In the 1960s, during the First Republic, the Nkrumah regime realizing the wide educational gap between the North and the South, and the need to bridge the gap between these geographical areas introduced free secondary school education.  All residents in the now three northern regions, that is, Upper East, Upper West and Northern Regions, enjoyed free secondary school education.  At that time, there was only one secondary school in those three regions; that is, Tamale Secondary School.  That school had inadequate infrastructure.  The free secondary school education policy was widely embraced and implemented, and nobody raised a question about inadequate infrastructure then.  For as long as our population continues to grow, there will be inadequate infrastructure.  Providing free secondary education does not mean ignoring provision of educational infrastructure.  In fact, the NPP Manifesto recognizes the woeful inadequacy of educational infrastructure.  The Manifesto therefore states “we will undertake a major expansion and overhaul of educational facilities and support provision of innovative forms of education delivery and teaching aids, including modern laboratories and libraries.” (p. 25).  In addition, the Manifesto indicates that quality education will be extended to the rural areasby the use of technology.  For example, recorded messages will be made available via the internet to be accessed by schools.

Clearly, it is untenable to justify and defend a position that there should be adequate educational infrastructure before the implementation of a free secondary education policy. In fact, that stage of “adequate educational infrastructure” will never be achieved; not even in 20 years as believed in some circles.  For as long as the population keeps growing, no government can completely satisfy educational infrastructural needs. Rather, the provision of educational infrastructure should be a part of the entire imperatives of free secondary school policy.  Educational infrastructure should be provided alongside the implementation of free secondary education.  Similarly, it is unreasonable to say that all schools under trees should be removed before the implementation of a fee free primary education.  As the policy persists, the schools under trees continue to be removed as part of the policy implementation.

It is rather unfortunate that the NDC government has made removal of schools under trees as a major educational policy.  Yes, classrooms should be built to remove schools under trees.  However, if that is the main focus of a government, “schools under trees” will keep mushrooming if and when communities realize that the easiest way to get a classroom block is to organize schools under trees or sheds.  That is why it does not have to be a focal point of government educational policy.  If anything, it should only be and ancillary policy and not a focal point of a policy.

 

Financing the Free Secondary Education

Given the resources of Ghana as a nation, free secondary education is possible; indeed it is implementable.  Two conditions should be fulfilled.  First, the determination and commitment of a disciplined government, and, second the prudent allocation of the resources of the country.

A large amount of the resources of Ghana has been committed to education.  At the time I conducted my research in 1986, Ghana spent 26 per cent of the national budget on education.  By the year 2006, Ghana spent 30 per cent of the national budget on education (Thompson and Casely-Hayford, 2006).

Of the 30 per cent that is spent on education, 25 per cent goes into teacher salaries.  For as long as our population keeps increasing, the country will spend a lot on education.  Education’s share of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 5.0 per cent in 1999, and rose to 5.7 per cent in 2006 (Thompson, 2008).  Most of the allocations for education come from the national budget, but there are other sources.

 

Sources of Financial Resources for Education

The main sources of finance for education include the budgetary allocation from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP), the Ghana Education Fund (GETFund), the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), Internally Generated Funds (IGF) and Donor Contributions.

The allocation from MOFEP constitutes about 80 per cent of the total expenditure on education out of which 95 per cent is spent on teacher salaries.  A free secondary school policy will mean an increase in the budgetary allocation for education.  This will be more pertinent since Nana’s vision includes an improvement in the working conditions of the teacher.  Giving education priority, in essence, means there will be an increase in the budgetary allocation to education.

Since the GETFund was established in 2006, it has contributed tremendously to education financing.  The contribution of GETFund has been mainly in the provision of infrastructure.  Implementing a free secondary school policy will demand an increase in the contribution from GETFund not only for infrastructure, but for other purposes.  Indeed, there must be a change in the formula for the allocation of GETFund resources to reflect the priority accorded education.

The DACF is one area that should be reviewed to reflect the emphasis on education.  I hold a strong belief that a rigorous de-centralization policy should go alongside the free secondary school policy in its implementation.  The capacity of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies should be strengthened, for them to be in a position to implement the policy.  It will be important to strengthen the capacity of the Assemblies by increasing their resources, and ensuring that they get their allocations regularly and on time.  In fact, schools should be locally managed.

Internally Generated Funds constitute only three to five per cent of the total expenditure on education.  Almost all of this is generated in the tertiary institutions and may not be relevant in the financing of a free secondary school policy.  It is only important to observe that if the IGFs are properly managed and monitored, they could free some funds for utilization by the free secondary school policy.  Production Units should be established in the Technical and Vocational Schools to increase their capacity to create IGFs.  The production units which should be semi-autonomous could contribute to the education budget for using the facilities of the various institutions.

Donor Contributions could be substantial if the policy is appreciated and respected by the donor partners.  However, one cannot base the success of such a crucial policy on the goodwill and benevolence of donor countries and institutions.  Solicitation for donor contributions should be vigorously sought, but should not be completely depended upon.

 

Teachers First

As an extension of the free secondary education policy, the NPP Manifesto addresses the issue of teachers.  “Teachers first” is even discussed before the issue of free secondary school education.  Thiunderscores the importance attached to the quality, capacity and adequacy of our teachers.  According to the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, there is a teacher deficit of 60,000 in the country.  It beats my understanding why in the face of this huge deficit there are only 38 Colleges of Education with a limitation on the number of students they can admit yearly.  Ironically, there is a huge number of unemployed senior high school leavers roaming our streets or selling on our streets.  That is a waste of human resources.

Since I became a member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, I have struggled to get answers to this anomaly, and the only explanation I get is that the student allowances paid are a huge drain on the government budget, hence the restrictions on student intake.  This is as untenable as it is unreasonable.  The policy of “restricted admission” should be abrogated if the free secondary school policy is to succeed.  The capacity of the teachers should be upgraded and the teacher education institutions should be expanded.  There were over 60 teacher training colleges in the 1960s and 1970s and the decision to convert teacher training colleges into secondary schools was a short-sighted one.

There should be a transformation of our teachers to enable them to lead the transformation of the quality of our students under the free secondary school policy.  To me, it is unacceptable to admit only students who do not gain admission into the universities into our colleges of education.  In other jurisdictions, the best students are attracted into teaching.  For Ghana, some of the best academically endowed students should be admitted into the teaching profession.  However, this can only be appealing and will succeed if an attractive career package is available and offered to teachers.  For example, teachers should be paid good salaries, given government support to acquire homes, given loans to buy vehicles, and paid substantial duty allowances to serve in the rural areas.

 

Other Sources of Financing

There are several other sources that could be tapped to finance the free secondary education policy.  In addition to the regular budgetary allocation which should be increased substantially;

a)                   There should be discipline in the financial management of the various sectors of government to save money to service the free secondary school policy.  Enforcement of the findings of the Auditor General and recommendations of the Public Account Committee of Parliament is an area to explore.

b)                  A new formula should be crafted for the utilization of oil revenues taking into account the focus on education and the implementation of the free secondary school policy.

c)                  Loans and other facility agreements could be utilized for the purchase of equipment and the development of educational infrastructure.

d)                 There should be corporate contributions for their utilization of personnel trained with public funds from countries and institutions within and outside Ghana.  This will include trained teachers from public colleges of education who are employed by private schools.

 

The Way Forward

The free secondary school policy needs a gradualist approach for effective implementation.  The gradualist approach means that in 2013 the policy will affect students who will enter the first year in September of that year.  Therefore, the estimated GHC75 million will be for only one term, and that will be to kick-start the policy.  The NPP government will come into office in January, 2013, and put structures in place for full implementation of the policy.  New infrastructure will be started in places where they are needed for full implementation to commence in September, 2014.

Once the policy rolls out, I anticipate an expansion and upgrading of the Colleges of Education to train teachers.  The capacity of the colleges should be enhanced to motivate those that are capable to award degrees in education and in various subjects to do so to enable their graduates to teach in the senior high schools and the technical and vocational schools, while the diploma holders teach in the kindergarten, primary and junior high school s.  Furthermore, I anticipate a situation where teachers will be trained to staff private schools.  I can even foresee a time when teachers will be licensed to teach specific subjects in primary and junior high schools instead of class teachers teaching all subjects.

With the implementation of the policy, there will be the construction of community senior high schools, vocational and technical institutes resulting from the increase in student population.  Without a doubt, there will be a need for new schools to provide accessibility for all.  An effective Day School programme will be initiated to cater for students who do not get admission to the boarding schools.  Along with this, there should be a “schools transportation system” to cater principally for Day Students.

 

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, the free secondary school policy is possible.  It will succeed for as long as the government has the political will to do it.  The NPP government under Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo does not only have the political will to do it, but has the commitment and the desire to make it happen.  The policy will translate a constitutional mandate into reality, give financial relief to parents and guardians, and more importantly, ascertain the transformational agenda of the Ghanaian economy as promised in the NPP Manifesto.  Surely, there are resources in the country to implement the policy if we prioritize right.  The policy will not be sacrificed on the altar of quality education, and it will promote the professionalism and motivation of teachers.  Ghanaians should give it a shot by voting massively for the flag bearer of the NPP.

Finally, as a national posturing for future endeavours, an educational policy should be formulated; a policy that will be backed by an entrenched legislation and which cannot be altered by any succeeding governments except through a referendum.  That will serve the nation and posterity well and ensure a sustainable development and economic transformation.

 

References;

The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana

Transforming Lives, Transforming Ghana:  New Patriotic Party (NPP) Manifesto for Election 2012

The Legacy Document for the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education (Draft) by Dr. Leslie Casely-Hayford and Nana Fredua Agyeman Ofori-Atta, Associates for Change.

 

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