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| Support higher standards for education finance, says the IEPA Director-General to stakeholders |
To commemorate the International Day of Education, a conference on education was organized in Cape Coast. Stakeholders were urged to support funding for education in order to raise standards.
Dr. Michael Boakye-Yiadom, the director general of the University of Cape Coast's Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, who made the call, said that even though the government's budgetary allocation to the sector was appallingly inadequate, stakeholders must not remain silent because doing so could jeopardize quality.
He emphasized that everyone must come up with creative methods to raise enrollment and funding in order to improve quality, adding that the nation must not give up on attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for education.
The event was organized by the Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, a semi-autonomous unit of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) that provides training for educational leaders, administrators, and planners.
Collaboration between the University Practice Senior High School and the Ghana Education Service's Cape Coast branch was involved (SHS).
Theme
The celebration's theme for this year was "Invest in people, prioritize education."
On January 24, 2019, the inaugural International Education Day was observed.
At an international educational meeting in 2001, the government promised to devote at least 23% of its budgeted resources to education, according to Dr. Boakye-Yiadom.
He did point out that this year's allotment was one of the lowest in previous years at 12%.
In developing nations in particular, he claimed that governmental funding of education would never be sufficient, and he urged traditional chiefs, district councils, and the private sector to help with finance.
According to the Director-General, between the ages of four and 17, 1.2 million Ghanaians did not attend school.
Dr. Boakye-Yiadom pointed out that approximately one million of them had never attended school, noting that these numbers should alarm everyone.
massive investments
The academician said that in order to enhance access and raise quality, massive expenditures in infrastructure and teacher training were needed at all levels of education, from primary to university.
Dr. Boakye-Yiadom expressed sadness that some SHS graduates with strong marks were unable to enroll in postsecondary schools due to a lack of facilities.
"The SDG on education will not be realized if the nation does not adequately mobilize to strive towards its achievement," he said.
He urged all parties involved to actively work toward educating everyone, from the individual to the national level.
He claimed that visits to some of the Cape Coast-area communities revealed that some of the kids were not in school because they still did not see the value in education.
He continued, "Others did not have mentors and role models who motivated them to attend school.
He stated that IEPA was thinking about creating mentors and role models for communities across the nation to inspire them to enter and continue their education.
According to Dr. Boakye-Yiadom, the issue would be resolved if each student in the school encouraged one additional person to enroll in classes.
He counseled the students to continue attending class and to inspire their peers to do the same.
When speaking on the subject, the director of education for the Cape Coast Metropolitan Area, Phyllis Krobea-Asante, asserted that education was the key to creating the functional and effective workforce needed for quick socioeconomic development.
The future rewards of such investments, she added, would put an end to all critics. She argued that the government should increase its funding for education from 12% to 23%.
To that end, Ms. Krobea-Asante stated that the country must continue to prioritize education and aid in preparing the young people for the future, adding that this was the best way to ensure growth and development and close the wealth-poverty gap.
