The Greater Accra and Eastern regionals session of the National Education Forum (NEF) has commenced in Accra with a call on stakeholders to fashion out reforms that put education at the heart of national development.

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, who opened the session yesterday at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), said there was a need for a transformational education sector, which would be able to provide the needed solutions and innovations to propel the country to greater heights.

“There must be an educational system tailored towards our national needs to help solve our socio-economic problems,” she said.

She stressed the importance of an inclusive educational system which created problem-solvers and inculcated ethical values into learners, adding,  “Our education system should not just produce speakers of the English Language only.”

“The moral decay among our children and the youth today is very worrying. To address this, we should go beyond the present system of education where our children learn to write their exams and that ends it,” she said.

Education Forum

Educationists, experts, policymakers, teacher unions, the clergy, civil society organisations, students, and other stakeholders in education from the Greater Accra and Eastern regions have converged on the UPSA to brainstorm and come out with recommendations that would help address the challenges confronting education in the country.

The forum, which is on the theme:  “Transforming Education for a Sustainable Development,” is part of a series of regional sessions being held across the country following the National Consultative Forum on Education launched by President John Dramani Mahama at Ho, the Volta Regional capital, last Tuesday.

Key areas being discussed by the stakeholders at the forum are education financing, quality education, infrastructure provision, evidence of decision-making, regulation, accountability and governance.

Crucial intervention

The Vice-Chancellor of  UPSA, Prof. John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, said the NEF was a crucial intervention that would  provide solutions to deal with some of the structural problems inhibiting the growth of education in the country.

For instance, he said education financing was a major challenge which required a comprehensive and innovative approach.

“If we want to continue the traditional way of financing education, I do not think it will be sustainable. It is time to look at unique ways of financing education. UPSA is ready to share our success. UPSA has a unique way of financing infrastructure and we are ready to share our stories,” he said

The Chairperson of the Committee set up by President Mahama  to plan the NEF, Prof. George K.T Oduro, said the forum had been decentralised to capture the input of all stakeholders at all levels.

“We wanted to even hold the forum at the constituency level but for budgetary constraints, we have divided the country into three zones - Northern zone, Middle zone and Southern zone.  We will also be meeting religious bodies and student unions such as NUGS to get their perspectives,” he added.

Background

On February 2, this year, President Mahama appointed an eight-member committee chaired by a former Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Prof. George K.T Oduro, to organise the NEF, which would engage stakeholders to come out with policy framework and reforms, which would improve education across all levels.

At the launch of the NEF, President Mahama outlined five key reform areas for consideration by the stakeholders at the forum, which were  how the country would ensure quality education for every child, regardless of location; how it would equip teachers with the tools they need to succeed; how it would promote innovative teaching methods and critical thinking; how it would ensure sustainable financing for education, and how it would strengthen the role of faith-based organisations in school management.