The Minority in Parliament has expressed deep concerns over President John Dramani Mahama’s vision for education, describing it as uninspiring and lacking coherence.
Addressing the nation in what they termed the "True State of the Nation Address" on Monday, the Minority emphasized that the President’s pronouncements on education exposed a significant knowledge gap and failed to present a clear roadmap for the sector’s transformation.
According to the Minority, while they commend President Mahama for pledging to continue the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy and the drive to improve the Tertiary Gross Enrolment Ratio, his overall policy direction on education does not introduce any innovative solutions.
They argue that many of the initiatives he outlined are already in existence and were successfully implemented under the previous administration.
“The President’s speech lacked the necessary coherence to articulate the role of education in Ghana’s transformation. Many of the reforms he presented as new initiatives were already in place and thriving under the previous regime,” a leading Minority spokesperson asserted.
The Minority highlighted that under the Akufo-Addo-led administration, significant progress was made in tackling foundational learning challenges, particularly through the Differentiated Learning approach.
They also pointed out that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the resilience of teachers and education workers helped Ghana avoid catastrophic learning losses, resulting in an impressive increase in Primary 2 literacy levels from 2% in 2015 to 38% in 2022.
They further argued that the previous government overhauled the secondary education curriculum, emphasizing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to equip students with 21st-century skills.
As a result, 13 STEM-focused senior high schools were constructed nationwide, with over 20 STEM centers established in existing schools.
The Minority dismissed assertions that Ghana’s education system was outdated, stating that cutting-edge courses such as biomedical sciences, robotics, aviation, and manufacturing engineering had been introduced under their tenure, complemented by the construction of modern science and engineering laboratories.
Additionally, the Minority criticized the President’s lack of emphasis on the transformation of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
They underscored that prior to 2017, the TVET sector was disjointed, with 17 different ministries involved in its regulation and delivery.
They lauded the Akufo-Addo administration for implementing bold reforms that streamlined TVET governance, leading to the establishment of the Commission for TVET (CTVET) and the Ghana TVET Service (GTVET).
“The TVET sector, which was once neglected, saw a significant transformation under our watch. Enrolment jumped from 41,696 in 2016 to over 172,473 in 2024. We rehabilitated and equipped institutions, constructed four new TVET centers of excellence, and introduced Competency-Based Training (CBT) to ensure industry relevance,” the Minority stressed.
Other major interventions, they noted, included the Ghana Apprenticeship Programme (GAP), benefiting over 40,000 individuals, the establishment of the Ghana Skills Development Fund (GSDF), and the initiation of 32 new state-of-the-art TVET centers nationwide.
The Minority cautioned against downplaying the achievements of the previous government, insisting that Ghana’s education system had undergone remarkable modernization.
They called on the Mahama administration to focus on consolidating the gains made rather than portraying an inaccurate narrative of inheriting an outdated system.
“The previous NPP government prioritized equipping learners at all levels with 21st-century skills to ensure their participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is, therefore, misleading to suggest that the education system we left behind was outdated,” they concluded.
The Minority urged the government to take a more pragmatic approach in addressing the challenges in the education sector and to build upon the robust foundation laid by the previous administration to ensure continued progress in Ghana’s educational transformation.
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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