Minister Of Education Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum
“Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy, and sustainable human development”- Kofi Annan.
In the case of residents of the Atwima Kwanwoma District, education has become an expensive commodity meant for the rich who can afford the tall list of items demanded by school officials while the “Have not” linger around in the community engaging in petty trading to sustain their livelihood.
With over 20,000 students population the standards of education in the district have fallen to the bare minimum.
This is due to the fact that many of the students on a daily basis are requested to pay money for extra classes or denied access to the school.
This has affected the attendance of students at various government schools in the district and goes contrary to the Sustainable Development Goal 4 target for Quality Education, which, in general, seeks to improve education through greater access and equity for all ages of learners as well as improve safer learning spaces.
Meanwhile, the Government has signed onto the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework adopted by 192 countries aimed at fostering economic growth, ensuring social inclusion, and protecting the environment.
In as much as I will give a thumbs up to the government for doing everything possible to achieve the SDG goals, especially with that of education some scrupulous individuals hide in the dark to water down the hard earned effort made by the government.
Practical example is an incident which happened at the just-ended Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The candidates were made to pay an extra GH¢20.00 each as fee for the registration picture, a situation I find very appalling considering the facts that the majority of students are from farming communities where money is a scarce resource.
You can imagine the frustrations parents and students would have to go through before raising the said amount for registration meanwhile the government has made registration free of charge. Who at all is behind this preposterous acts of illegality?
At the same time teachers who gather the courage to confront officials about the unapproved fees charged to students are either ignored or transferred to other schools.
While the government is to relieve Ghanaians of the burden associated with the cost of education some officials who hide in the shadows are perpetuating fraudulent crimes that seek to rubbish the effort of the government.
First it was a headmaster in one of the government primary schools in Sunyani in the Bono Region reported to be charging unnecessary prices to students who access the school facility.
Minister of Education Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum was swift to intervene which later led to the suspension of the headmaster and his compliance.
In the same vein, we are appealing to the sector minister with all urgency to clamp down on the ‘can’t-touch-me’ officials who in their wisdom want to over-burden parents with unnecessary pricing, making life unbearable.
Some high-profile personalities have been notified about the predicament but unfortunately, little or nothing has been done to address the situation.
I am making a passionate appeal to the Chief of Staff, Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service, National Association Of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and other stakeholders in the country to intervene to save the future of Atwima Kwanwoma District students.
By Samuel Boadi