The Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, Joseph Kwame Kumah, has called for an urgent and holistic review of Ghana’s educational system, following a revealing nationwide tour that exposed glaring infrastructural and logistical challenges across senior high schools, particularly in the southern part of the country.
Mr. Kumah, speaking during an interaction with stakeholders as part of the committee’s monitoring tour, emphasized that while there have been some notable improvements, such as enhancements in the school feeding program, the educational system still grapples with deeply rooted challenges that demand immediate attention.
“Whichever means that teachers may even get that new curriculum printed in a special way before students can use it to learn,” he remarked, underscoring the improvisational efforts being made by educators just to keep the system afloat. “So if we are sitting as a nation and think all is rosy, we are joking. The truth be told.”
Ground Realities and Stakeholder Involvement
According to the Vice Chair, the committee’s interactions with teachers revealed shocking truths about conditions in the country’s senior high schools—conditions that he insists must be acknowledged by the general public and stakeholders alike.
He listed pressing issues such as inadequate infrastructure, poor accommodation, lack of furniture, insufficient teaching and learning materials, and overall burden on schools and teachers.
“We must all look at it holistically—holistically in the sense that accommodation, infrastructure, furniture, lack of adequate materials… what have you,” he stated, adding that while feeding has seen some improvement, “we need more.”
Despite the challenges, Mr. Kumah commended several groups for their roles in sustaining the education system. “Thumbs up to His Excellency and the Minister of Education,” he noted, recognising improvements in the school feeding program.
He also praised Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), old students’ associations, and especially teachers and headmasters for their commitment to holding the system together, often with little support.
“They are squeezing water out of rock to be able to maintain such an educational incubator,” he said.
Education Forum and Anticipated Reforms
The Vice Chairman mentioned that the ongoing Education Forum has already engaged with various stakeholders, and a report is being compiled for presentation to government.
However, he stressed that the realities on the ground cannot wait for formal reports alone.
“I know government is waiting for the final report, but these are the things that are underground. You need to interact with the teachers, for them to tell their stories as they are. These are the issues that account,” he stated.
Mr. Kumah also disclosed that the committee intends to extend its tour to the northern sector of the country, promising that more revelations will come to light.
“What I’m seeing here in the southern sector is not the best. I attended Bole Secondary School in the northern region, and we’ve not yet been there. The next time Parliament resumes, we’ll go to the northern sector, and a lot of revelations will come out,” he said with concern.
A National Call to Action
The remarks by Joseph Kwame Kumah serve as a wake-up call to government, policymakers, and citizens. His plea is for a comprehensive overhaul, not piecemeal solutions. “These are the stories that we must put out there and must be known by the Ghanaian populace,” he urged.
As the Education Select Committee prepares to compile its findings and collaborate with the ongoing forum, stakeholders hope that government will not only listen but act—transforming these disturbing revelations into meaningful reform.
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