The Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) believes that the Ghana Partnership Schools Project which seeks to privatize basic schools on a pilot basis will fail.
The group says it has evidence to show that the policy will impact negatively on education.
[contextly_sidebar id=”7JqF7lF60i3pCmAQgJLGkMS4LoMnr2mm”]The Coalition thus wants the government to scrap the project which is expected to be rolled out this September.
Chairman of the GNECC, Kofi Asare has said that one of the many ways by which government can improve performance at the basic level, is to ensure prompt payment of capitation grants and allow the Education Bill to function adequately.
“The issues we are raising are very cogent issues and we believe that when we have a physical engagement with the Minister and his team, they will appreciate the issues we have raised. We have given alternatives too in our statement.We intend together with the teacher unions, to engage government one on one and have a discussion on this but we wanted government to know our position on this.
“We will engage the Ministry. I do not think they will go ahead and implement this policy because if they go ahead, we will end up like Kenya ended, we will end up like Uganda ended, we will end up like Liberia ended and we will end up like Pakistan. I think with the evidence we have of the failures associated with such an approach in ensuring quality learning outcomes , we will be able to convince the Education Ministry to change its approach.”
The policy seeks to privatize the management of some basic schools in the country on a pilot basis and will be piloted in the Ashanti, Northern, Central and Greater Accra Regions.
It also seeks to relinquish the running of over 100 public basic schools under private management.
We’ll fight GPS implementation
Aside teacher unions who are resisting the move, President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu have said teachers in the country will do everything possible to make government rescind the decision since the implementation of the GPS will deprive them of their dignity.
“We are determined [to fight this] because our jobs are on the line, our dignity is on the line, our professionalism is on the line and so we are ready to take this to the hill,” he said.
Despite these threats, the Ministry of Education has said it will go ahead to roll out the policy to improve the standards of education in the country.
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By: Marian Ansah & Marie-Franz Fodjoe| citinewsroom.com| Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah
