Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President and presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has presented his vision for the education sector to the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS).
At a stakeholder engagement held on April 22, 2024, the Vice President highlighted the significance of the meeting as an avenue to engage with a crucial stakeholder in the education sector as well as garner support from administrators of Senior High Schools.
He emphasised that under his administration, there would be a concerted effort to harness the private sector and implement an enhanced credit system to bolster educational infrastructure and provide the necessary support for both teaching and non-teaching staff, ultimately aiming to elevate the quality of education and improve educational outcomes.
“My vision is to leverage the private sector and an enhanced credit system to expand educational infrastructure and support teaching and non-teaching staff to improve the quality of education and educational outcomes,” he intimated.
Dr. Bawumia elaborated on the strategy, emphasising that the private sector would be incentivised to construct essential infrastructure, such as dormitories and classrooms, which would then be leased to the government for a defined period, eventually becoming government-owned assets. Additionally, the government would facilitate the leasing of buses for schools.
The Vice President highlighted that this innovative financing approach would address the challenges, particularly the substantial government expenditures of high initial costs and project delays in high school infrastructure due to delayed funding.
“Under my proposal (which I mentioned during my February 7 speech at UPSA) the private sector will be encouraged to build infrastructure (such as dormitories, classrooms, etc.) which the government will rent over a period of years and own after a period of time.
“Government will also lease buses for schools. This new mode of financing will avoid huge initial government outlays (through the GETFund) and delays in the completion of infrastructure projects in our Senior High Schools,” Dr. Bawumia reiterated.
Meanwhile, the Vice President acknowledged the valuable input from the executives of CHASS, recognising their contributions towards enhancing the Free Senior High School Policy and addressing broader educational issues.
A Daily Guide Report