One of the contemporary issues in Ghana is the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Manifesto on Education, specifically the issue of providing free education to the Senior High School level, which continues to generate a major debate.
One is not in total disagreement with free Senior High School Education. It is good but the major problem which is very worrisome and needs much attention are those Children of school going age in the country who are not in school. Available statistics indicate that about 40 per cent of Children of school going age in Ghana are not in school. That this problem is more pronounced in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions is no exaggeration.
Recently, at a programme organised by the "Convenient Learning and Strategic Solution on National Education (CLASS ONE) project", at separate functions at Navrongo and Kayoro Saboro in the Kassena-Nankana East and West Districts respectively, the concern over Children of School going age who are not in school was emphasized by participants.
The CLASS ONE project is a local NGO that aims at providing out-of-school children with basic literacy and numeracy skills to integrate them into formal school for self development.
The children of School going age who came from Kayoro-Akaa, Kayoro-Woro, Katiu, Nakong, Wurunia, Saboro, Adognia, Abolo, Nyagnia, Paga Navio, Paga Chania, Manyoro, Doba, Pungu, Gaani and Wuru among others, are made of 588 girls and 632 boys. They were handled by facilitators and went through eight months of learning how to read, write and to do simple calculations in the Kasseem Language. They are expected to be assisted to re-integrate into formal education.
The Project Director of CLASS ONE, Mr Dennis C Chirawura, lamented over the situation and said the case of the two districts was just a tip of the iceberg, stressing, "this problem cuts across all the Districts in the Upper East Region and must be addressed by the various political actors including other stakeholders".
He said with support from the School for Life and DFID since the project started in 2009, over 600 children aged eight to fourteen years had benefited from the project and were excelling well in the schools they had integrated into.
He impressed upon the District Assemblies to show keen interest by supporting the project to make a meaningful impact and to also provide more class rooms for the reintegration of the children to the formal education.
On the cause of this problem, the Assemblyman for Wura- Nangaliania, Mr Abalori Atio who is also a teacher, told me, "the problem is that apart from many parents being ignorant about the importance of education, there are others who genuinely cannot afford to send their children to school due to poverty".
According to him one of the problems is that some school children have disappointed their parents and this makes them feel reluctant to send other children in the family to school.
Mr Adafula Aiden, Assembly Member of Namolo and a teacher, also indicated that most parents cannot pay some minor fees charged by some Schools and that was why many Children of school going age were out of school.
Both of the Assembly members stressed the need for the School Feeding Programme and the Capitation Programme to be expanded and extended to more schools.
According to research, Education all over the world is accepted as the process by which individuals acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes which enable them to develop their faculties in full. Universally one of the benefits of good education is that it enables individuals to contribute to development and improvement in their own quality of life, their communities and the nation as a whole.
Improving the quantity and quality of education remains an important goal for many countries including Ghana. This is in line with the country's subscription to the MDGs and also its own local constitutional requirement.
Improving the quantity and quality of education requires that policy addresses both demand and supply constraints of education. Countries worldwide are making good and encouraging progress towards reducing the number of out of school children.
Countries in Sub Saharan Africa have been exploring ways of improving their educational systems in order to achieve their commitment to education for all. Two main systems that certain governments are using to achieve this aim are the abolition of school fees and the School Feeding Programmes.
The low literacy rate in Ghana and the gross disparity in the delivery of basic education among rural, semi-urban and urban communities are leaving most children out of school, especially in the poorest regions of the country. The vast majority of children in these regions do not complete the compulsory nine years of primary schooling nor do they attain the mandatory level of basic literacy which therefore suggests that there is lack of strategic focus of the FCUBE policy.
After the World Conference on Education for All in 1990, Ghana revised its Constitution to achieve this international educational goal. The revised Constitution stated that basic education (primary and junior secondary schools) would become compulsory and be provided free of charge, and this article was enforced with the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education program (FCUBE) in 1996.
In 2004, the Government of Ghana came out with a White Paper on education Reform which outlined a portfolio of reforms and objectives of the entire education sector to be implemented from 2007 with major targets identified for 2015 and 2020. This brought about the introduction of the Gapitation Grant and the School Feeding Programme. Although Ghana's enrollment rates as compared to most African countries are relatively high, about 40 per cent children between the age of six and eleven have remained out of school.
Education is a basic human right, and like all human rights it is universal and inalienable; everyone regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity or economic status, is entitled to it. In Ghana access to education is seen both as a fundamental human right and an essential element in the national development strategy to promote growth and ensure adults are prepared for a productive adult life. It is therefore a violation of the human rights of those children of School age who are not in school.
Ghana's aspiration to become a middle income country by 2020 will rest on her ability to improve educational access with a highly educated population which can provide the human resource base for accelerated development.
Education has social and economic benefits to both the individual and the wider society. Any effort to improve health, nutrition, agriculture, industry, commerce and environmental conditions in Ghana has to enhance equitable access to both basic and post-basic education. Without this poverty would remain intractable.
Disadvantage would continue to be transmitted across the generations, and economic growth would be compromised by shortages of knowledge and skill in the work force. No country has become a major player in the global economy without a critical mass of literacy and numeracy in the population and substantial access to post basic education (Graham 1971:148).
Viewing from the above analysis it is very crucial for the various political parties to take the issue of education seriously in their manifestos. They must ensure that issues in their manifestos concerning education, particularly that of basic education, are implemented.
Political parties must tell all Ghanaians what they have on the table for Children of School going age that are not in School. It is very important for the electorate to demand that from political leaders; for them to tell them their plans to salvage the situation should they win the election.
It is also equally important for the electorate to ensure that the party that would win the election implements its policy on education. There is the need for additional numbers of teachers, classrooms, text books and free school uniforms. The School Feeding Programme and Capitation Grant should be increased and extended to more schools than is the case now.
Though successive governments including those of the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party have made some impact in the education sector over the years there is more to be done, particularly in the three Northern Regions where development is lagging behind. In this 21st century it would be a taboo for a country like Ghana, ranked as a middle level income Country, to have many of its children out of school.