The government since 2021 has completed just 17 out of 5400 Schools under Trees and this is worrying for a government that is so much interested in investing a fortune in the provision of free tablets to over one million SHS students.
Such resources will produce a life-transforming impact in the basic schools yet, the government prefers projects that will help them win the next election. After all, most SHS students vote in elections but nearly all basic school learners do not.
This sad reality clearly shows the low level of the Nana Addo-Bawumia government in basic education.
It will take 300 years for Nana Addo to eradicate the over 5400 Schools under trees
It is unacceptable for this government to have completed just 17 out of 5,400 schools under trees.
A report put together by 10 CSOs including STAR-Ghana, CAMFED and ActionAid added that at the current pace, it will take Ghana more than 300 years to eradicate the over 5,400 schools under trees, sheds, and dilapidated structures.
“There are over 5,400 schools existing under trees, sheds, and dilapidated structures, a situation which negatively affects, teaching, learning, and learning outcomes. The general learning environment is not only a disincentive for teachers to accept postings, but also demotivates existing teachers while making school attendance unattractive to students.
“The government in 2021 announced a programme to replace all schools under trees, sheds and dilapidated structures with decent new school buildings by 2025. To date, only 17 have been completed. Given the current pace, it will take Ghana more than 300 years to eradicate the over 5,400 schools under trees, sheds, and dilapidated structures, which is unacceptable.”
The growth in public basic schools between 2015 and 2021 has been pegged at 12% whiles private schools have grown by some 68% within the same period. This translates into Ghana constructing an average of 0.8 primary schools each year per district.
This can be attributed to the lack of will on the part of the government, and the unwillingness of the state to push adequate investment in basic school infrastructure.
The government has shifted focus from the responsibility of providing free compulsory universal basic education to the private sector, which is beyond the financial reach of the poor.
The CSOs and teacher groups also criticized the government’s one student, one laptop initiative.
“Government’s plan to procure 1.3 million laptops to replace textbooks in Senior High Schools across the country does not represent efficient and prioritized use of public funds in the face of a heavily underfunded basic education sub-sector”.
The CSOs also made a number of recommendations they believe could help revive the country’s educational system if adhered to.
“The government must develop an emergency infrastructure expansion plan for overcrowded urban and peri-urban schools. The Plan must also include a purposive approach to bridging the 25 percent gap between primary and JHS while providing new schools for underserved communities. The government must deploy desks to all the 2.3 million pupils in underserved schools.
READ: 5,000 new blocks needed to eliminate basic schools under trees – EduWatch
Partnerships with the Forestry Commission and the private sector should be pursued,” the organizations recommended.