The Supreme Court will today rule on a suit filed by the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) to compel government to fully implement the 1992 constitution’s free compulsory universal basic education.
[contextly_sidebar id=”2f7yyf2oNu4P3haa7RRZNItgXAzjJJB9″]Article 25(1)(a) of the 1992 constitution indicates that “All persons shall have the right to equal educational opportunities and facilities and with a view to achieving the full realization of that right-basic education shall be free, compulsory and available to all”.
Government has over the years introduced a number of interventions including the School Feeding Programme, capitation grant, the distribution of free exercise books and lately the provision of free school uniforms to support this initiative but the PPP believes there are some sections of the policy which government and educational authorities in Ghana have overlooked.
The party’s flagbearer, Paa Kwesi Nduom believes government’s failure to implement some sections of the policy partly contributed to Ghana being placed at the bottom in the global school rankings.
The Organisation Economic Cooperation Development(OECD) in a report released on Wednesday said “If Ghana, the lowest ranked country, achieved basic skills for all its 15-year-olds, it would expand its current GDP by 38 times, over the lifetime of today’s youngsters.”
In a post on Facebook, he explained that the party therefore needs to compel government to implement the policy because of the OECD’s link between education and economic growth.
Ghana’s position on global school rankings not by accident – NPP
Meanwhile the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has indicated the global school rankings has vindicated its flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo’s advocacy for a free Senior High School (SHS) education.
“This vindicates the message that our Presidential Candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, has been consistently preaching since 2008 that ‘no Ghanaian should be denied education to the secondary level’ and that education must be free from kindergarten to Senior High School,” said a statement from the party.
According to the party, Ghana’s position was “not by accident because investment in education has slumped under President John Mahama and standards are feared to even fall further this year, with Government refusing to release funds for schools and Dumsor affecting studies”
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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah