The Neglect of basic education in Ghana is worrying – Africa Education Watch

Basic Education: Pre-school, Primary classes, and Junior High School forms comprise basic education in Ghana, which is compulsory. In spite of the progress Ghana has made in improving access to education for all, there are still challenges preventing thousands of children from going to school and learning.

The school environment is usually not conducive to learning. Classes are overcrowded, water and sanitation facilities are inadequate and trained teachers and school books are in short supply. The poor quality of education is reflected in students’ results.

The senior programs officer of the Africa Education Watch, Divine Kpe, has asked the government to use the supplementary budget to increase budget allocations to education to at least 15 percent. Speaking in an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM in Accra on Friday, he said this would help address the infrastructural deficits that have resulted in over 5,000 basic schools still remaining under trees across the country.

Mr. Kpe also stressed the need for the government to reconsider its plan of procuring tablets for Senior High Schools, adding that “the best government can do is to be prudent in its use of resources and that the money should be used for basic schools.”

It’s almost like the government has focused and channeled all its energy into free SHS and neglected the basic schools which is the foundation of education. If attention is not given to this stage of education, what students do we produce for the SHS level? A lot of stakeholders and opinion leaders have called for a review of free SHS, we are yet to see if it will be considered.

Story by: Priscilla Agyapong / Ahotoronline.com