1.2m children not in school and public basic school is not free -AduWatch

As part of its message to the government as the world celebrates the 2022 World Children’s Day under the theme “Inclusion, For Every Child”,  Africa Education Watch has reminded the government of the over 1.2 million children who are still not in school in Ghana. It added that although public basic schools are supposed to be free, in reality, public basic school is not free.

The truth is public basic education is still neither truly free, compulsory nor universally accessible to all Ghanaian children. Hidden fees, low government investment in building new schools and maintaining and operating existing ones, and poverty continue to hamper universal access.”

Parents who enroll their wards in public schools have to pay all manner of fees including extra classes, exam fees, PTA among others when the government has insisted that no such fees should be collected while at the same time it has failed to provide the needed funding for school for their effective and smooth running.

The Africa Education Watch has called on the government to take proactive steps to ensure the reviving of the implementation of the fCUBE which started some 17 years ago.

This is one sure way to make basic education truly accessible to all Ghanaian children. The Africa Education Watch holds the view that the effective and efficient implementation of the fCUBE through the commitment of the government to efficient use of funds to finance basic education will go a long way to increase access to education which will bring over 1.2 m children, not in school into the children in school bracket in Ghana.

“Seventeen (17) years after implementing fCUBE, public basic education is still neither truly free, compulsory nor universally accessible to all
Ghanaian children. Hidden fees, low government investment in building new schools and maintaining and operating existing ones, and poverty continue to hamper universal access.”

“On this occasion of World Children’s Day 2022, the Government of Ghana must revisit fCUBE and re-commit to making basic education free, universally accessible, and compulsory for all Ghanaian children by increasing capital investments and financing of public basic education.”

In a related development, the government of Ghana seeks to reduce the basic education period from the current 9 years to 6 years. This when implemented will increase the years spend in secondary school to 6 years to bring Ghana’s education system to par with other West African Countries that are members of the West African Examination Council.

READ: World Children’s Day mark under the theme “Inclusion, For Every Child”

It will ensure Ghana’s secondary school candidates get well-prepared for the WASSCE, just like their colleagues in Nigeria and other parts of the world.