The Institute of Economic Affairs qaRN A Public Policy Institute (GRRE Sunday, 17" September, 2017 I Media Houses A Communique issued by the Participants at an IEA-Ghana Political Parties Programme's Youth Capacity-Building Initiative on Sunday, September 17, 2017, at Anomabo, Central Region reamble Under the auspices of the Institute of Economie Affairs (IEA), policy analysts of some political parties and some selected youths attended a three-day retreat at Anomabo in the Central Region form Friday to Sunday, September 15-17, 2017 to review Ghana’s educational system. The retreat which was under the theme Reforming Ghana's Educational System was attended by over 30 participants drawn from youth groups across all sectors of the Ghanaian society including those from political parties, civil society and industry The topics discussed at the retreat were “Overview and Challenges of Ghana's Educational System”, “Improving the Quality of Education in Ghana”, “Teacher Education and Professional Learning in Ghana’ aad “Funding of Education in Ghana’. We the participants at this retreat having identified below the major challenges and setbacks which undermine quality education in Ghana make the following recommendations: 1. The country’s expenditure on education should be at least 10 per cent of GDP; Government must speed up the operationalisation of the National Teaching Council and the full implementation of the Education Act, 2008 (Act 77 3. Goverment must consult and work extensively with experts in designing and implementing ‘educational policies; 4. ‘There should be a strong link between academia and industry: 5. There is the need to completely review the education curriculum to reflect the needs of the 21° ccontury 6. Government should further consult stakeholders on the implementation of free SHS policy to ensure its sustainability Identified Challenges and Setbacks We identified the following as the major challenges and setbacks which undermine quality edueation in Ghana: 1. There is limited investment in educational infrastructure and teacher motivation at all levels, and this has undermined the quality of education in Ghana. P.O. Box OS 1936, Christianborg, Accra, Ghana. Tel: +233 302 244716 / 226388 / 226333 / 030 7010713/4 Fax: +233 302 222313 + Email: jea@ieagh.org + Website: www.ieagh.orgOver the years, there has been limited political will on the part of govemment in engaging stakeholders and taking on board the views of stakeholders in reforming the country’s education ‘The current mode of assessment of pupils at the basic level does not take into consideration the specific competences of individual pupils, with student assessment at the secondary school merely serving the purpose of university placement. Educational curriculum is not inclusive and responsive to the diverse needs of both students and the nation as a whole. The curriculum is incoherent, fragmented and overloaded. It is also heavily skewed towards grammar-based training to the neglect of skills raining, particularly technical and vocational training. There is no clear cut consensus on the philosophy of Ghana’s educational system. ‘There is no involvement of local and district authorities in the management education even though they are required to undertake the actual implementation of educational policies formulated at the national level. There is no positive correlation between enrolment and improved learning outcomes, Statistics show that majority of teachers at the basic level of education, particularly at the kindergarten, are not trained. This compromises the quality of learning received during the formative ages of many children. ‘There is lack of harmony between the various curricula for teacher education across the country. hence teacher training institutions offer different instructional materials in a manner that creates confusion and lack uniformity ‘The capitation grant to schools are inadequate and are also released late, while there is a lack of textbooks and other teaching materials, These challenges, if not addressed are likely to affect the implementation of the free SHS programme. ‘The free SHS programme has increased enrolment into secondary schools. This would have implications for infrastructure development at both SHS and tertiary institutions. ‘The delay in ensuring the full operation of the National Teaching Council and the lack of consensus among stakeholders over the council’s assigned roles make it extremely difficult to raise teac! standards, Funding of education at al levels have not been property addressed. Government subyentions remain woefully inadequate and mainly pays for employee compensations with little going into improving infrastructure. Signed on behalf of Participants: Dr Frankie Asare-Donkoh Director of Advocacy & Programmes Institute of Economic Affairs