A Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Commiittee of Parliament, Dr. Clement Apaak, says the Minority Caucus would have to consider a weekly address on what he has described as ‘ills of the education sector’.
The lawmaker who represents Builsa South constituents said the sector is bedevilled with several challenges, yet the president goes around claiming that the quality of education has improved under his watch.
Dr. Apaak posits that we cannot talk about quality when capitation grants were in arrears for eight terms.
In an interview, the MP stated that no single public school in the country has a full complement of textbooks, which he explained is impacting the quality of teaching and learning in the country.
He noted that the Ghana Publishers Association has repeatedly pleaded with the Presidency, Ministry of Education, and GETFund for payment of elementary textbooks prepared and delivered in accordance with the Ministry of Education’s agreement.
The publishers had 120 days to print and deliver the books.
Some of them provided the textbooks ahead of schedule.
The payment parameters agreed upon by the Ministry of Education and publishers are as follows: 30% payment upon 50% delivery of textbooks within 30 days.
However, this was not met, and several of them were due.
According to Dr. Apaak, the situation is grave and has had a negative influence on teaching and learning in our primary schools.
He stated that President Akufo-Ado cannot talk about quality when the country’s educational buildings are in disrepair.
He claimed that the president’s claim is false since, since the implementation of free SHS, the government has not given a single pesewa to cover the cost of ICT and library fees.
‘It is time that we begin holding weekly or monthly programmes to expose the ills, the fraud, and make people believe in the educational sector. If President Akufo-Addo claims that quality has improved, why are we receiving accute furniture shortage in our schools?
He said the funds may have been approved, but they have not been used for the intended purposes.
By: Rashid Obodai Provencal/Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
