The government should undertake a comprehensive review of curriculum and assessment systems at all levels to enhance relevance, the National Education Forum, has advocated.
Priority, it said, must be accorded to the provision of resources for curriculum implementation and assessment.
The forum also said parent-teacher associations, faith-based organisations, and alumni associations were key stakeholders in education.
Regularise
“The government must regularise their roles through a framework to enhance their effectiveness, participation, recognition and impact.
“The double-track system is burdensome for teachers, students and parents. The government must take urgent steps to expand school infrastructure and abolish it,” it said and that
“Consideration must be given to the existing absorptive capacity of private secondary schools”
This was contained in a 15-point communique read by the Chairman of the National Education Forum Planning Committee, Professor George K.T. Oduro, to wrap up its work in Accra last Thursday.
Food
It said the poor quality and small quantity of food served in secondary schools were a worry and that the government must take practical measures to improve its quality and quantity.
It said there was a growing level of indiscipline and examination malpractice in secondary schools and that the government must work closely with relevant stakeholders to improve school discipline and eliminate examination malpractice.
The communique said there existed a huge gap in basic education infrastructure, access and quality, creating deficits in access to quality basic education in underserved communities.
That, it said, included limited access to digital infrastructure, school furniture, electricity and STEM facilities.
“The government must prioritise investments in basic education infrastructure, including innovative financing models to bridge the rural-urban gap in basic education access and quality and ensure all children of basic school age have an opportunity to enrol and complete basic school.
“There are concerns about the declining quality and disparity between the quality of basic education in rural and urban areas.
This is a result of inadequate teaching and learning resources, teacher quality and availability, curriculum relevance, management, supervision, and leadership deficits,” it said.
The government must be deliberate in investing to bridge the gap between the quality of basic education in rural areas and urban areas by ensuring equality through the equitable distribution of education resources across the country.
It said efforts must be made to strengthen school management and supervision through the adoption of a national leadership standard and improving teacher development deployment to rural areas through a decentralised teacher deployment system.
Financing
“Financing of basic education has declined with the introduction of free secondary education. Beyond inadequate financing, delayed release of funds continues to hamper school management.
The government must adopt an equitable framework for distributing education funds with priority given to basic education which is the foundation of our education system,” it said.
The pride of place, it said, must be accorded infrastructure, foundational learning, and digital learning facilities.
Prof. Oduro said a detailed report would be submitted to the President.
