CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
|
Ghana |
EDUCATION
Education, it seems, is in tatters everywhere. In Ghana, the concern stems from the type of education needed for uplifting the country
As in any country, the government of Ghana must be very concerned about the plight of young Ghanaians who line the streets of Accra and other big cities, selling dog-chains, bread and even puppies for a living. Their agility at running around moving vehicles whilst selling their wares to passengers, is a spectacle to be seen! These young Ghanaians are products of an educational system that promised them a form of technical training which would stand them in good stead for the future. However, it seems the whole idea is not meeting the present challenges after all. A number of these students churned out by the system, continue to roam the streets, much to the authorities’ chagrin.
The students’ fate was decided in the 1980s, when the government of the time initiated a number of reforms, aimed at accelerating and sustaining economic growth. The educational sector was overhauled and the junior secondary schools (JSS) introduced. In JSSs, children were supposed to complete their basic education and learn vocational skills to enable them to enter the job market. But a combination of factors has led to the gradual destruction of the entire programme.
Over the years, standards in many JSSs in much of the country, have remained very poor. «Most children only receive theoretical training because «hands-on» training (i.e. practical training) has been impossible in many schools because of the lack of tools,» says Juliana Amoah, a teacher. «There is a severe shortages of textbooks, furniture and teachers; and reading material in some cases has remained virtually elusive», she says.
The educational reform programme started to decline when senior government officials didn’t seem to have much trust in it. They had on various occasions placed their wards in more affluent schools, whilst they trumpeted the need for the JSS system. Lack of effective consultation with the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) at that time, also caused a poor response from the teachers in their chosen vocation. Undoubtedly, these factors led to an erosion of confidence in the viability of the system.
The outcome?
The quality of Ghana’s educational system has declined since the onset of the Structural Adjustment Programme. «The results from over $400 million in World Bank loans and any number of institutional reforms since that time, have been extremely poor», says a 2000 report: «The impact of Structural Adjustment on Access to Quality Tertiary Education».
Most of the foreign loans (85%), according to the report, helped to finance basic education, leaving secondary and tertiary levels virtually unfunded. In addition, donor funds were primarily dedicated to capital expenditure for infrastructure, rather than investment in educational quality improvements. As a result, Ghana is now reportedly producing students lacking the necessary skills. «What emerged was that, whilst one level of the system got some support, the other levels were neglected,» says Kwame Addo, a student of the University of Ghana.
With many children currently being pulled out of school to contribute to the family income, there is currently an estimated 40% drop-out rate in primary schools. Subsequently, there are real concerns that by the year 2020, Ghana’s population will be largely illiterate. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that fees are rising sharply at the secondary level, and more people are being denied access to the universities because of the cost of education and lack of facilities.
When it comes to tertiary education, there are even greater inequalities, with the better-off increasing their educational levels, and the poor falling even further behind. Those families who do manage to scrape together the money to pay fees, find that they have to cut back on essential household expenditure. The impact of these policies is often more severe for women and girls. «Lower levels of education for girls generally increases the already high levels of poverty among women,» says Amoah.
Vision for the future
Notwithstanding this, Ghana’s educational vision for the future is, undoubtedly, admirable. It is patterned on the need to increase the emphasis on scientific and technological education, and to make education more accessible to girls. Other projects include: Establishing «Distance Education» (i.e. a method of education when the student does not actually attend school sessions, but learns from a distance. e.g. possibly with a computer. There is a great deal of flexibility possible with this method) which has already been introduced at the tertiary level; up-grading post-secondary institutions (including Teacher Training Colleges) to full tertiary status; sharing costs in the funding of education.
For a country that wants to place priority on technical education, it is astonishing that recently only 1% of the educational budget was allocated to vocational and technical education. Lawrence A. Clocuh, Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, described the provision as «inadequate, considering the number of students in that sector. Obviously, if that sector is a priority, then due attention ought to be paid to it».
In the higher institutions, students’ main concern has been how to find their «user fees» i.e. charges that university administrations levy on students for accommodations, meals and use of laboratories and libraries. Finding ways and means of paying for education has been a politically sensitive issue in Ghana, especially at the universities, where students have, over the years, been accustomed to free tuition. In late 1999, students briefly went on strike to protest rising «user fees».
The government now faces difficult choices. Since 1992, the Constitution guarantees free and compulsory basic education for all. With about 40% of Ghanaian children still unable to attend primary school, this means that more of the education budget must shift to lower-level schools.
But the question remains. Should the government spend more on increasing the quality of education for those who are privileged enough to have primary, secondary, and now tertiary education? Or should it limit funding to the tertiary level, and concentrate on getting the 30% enroled, who would otherwise be condemned to illiteracy?
The universities
Beyond some cosmetic improvements, the universities’ infrastructure has not appreciably expanded over the same period. This has brought deteriorating conditions and quality, with too few facilities and faculties to handle the larger student body. Just to meet basic maintenance costs, much less any expansion, the universities have been obliged to increase various student charges. Last year, Prof. Ivan Addae-Mensah, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, declared his university to be a «Highly Indebted Poor University» (HIPU) — with justifiable reasons. After all, an entire nation such as Ghana is seeking relief through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC), so why can’t the universities?
Many students now acknowledge the need for «user charges», but bristle at their rising levels, arguing that those from poorer families are finding it difficult to meet the expense. While they accept «cost sharing» in principle, they insist that the government and other sources assume the lion’s share.
Less controversially, some have proposed new taxes on some activities but the recent public spiritedness in raising funds as well as scholarships from district assemblies, voluntary contributions, Churches, alumni associations and local communities to benefit students, have helped somewhat in assisting disadvantaged students.
The government is now eager to rectify the anomalies. It intends to review the entire educational system, making it responsive to current challenges. A committee set up by President John Kufuor, is now seeking public views on how best to reform the system. Over the past two months, the 29-member committee has been touring the country’s regions to solicit views on a wide-range of issues affecting the educational system. It is expected to present a report to the President, on what Ghanaians feel the government should do.
There are many and varied possibilities of resolving the problems in education. As it is, not even developed countries have found adequate solutions. However, it is important to realise that if resolute action is not taken soon, a social and economic catastrophe of unprecedented proportions is likely to occur in Ghana.
The fact is — while tertiary education stands on the brink of a crisis if a radical approach is not applied to making provision for that level of education, it must also be realised that illiteracy might soar if basic education is not given a much-needed boost.
Which way for the government? That’s the dilemma it’s facing.
ENGLISH CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
PeaceLink 2002 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement