Education think tank, Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) has called on the government to increase the country’s budgetary allocation for education.
The think tank made the call in a statement as part of activities to mark the International Day of Education.
The education policy research and advocacy organization called on the government to make financial commitments to prepare the nation for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
EduWatch opined that there are still about one million children in Ghana who are out of school and called for deliberate efforts to be made to reduce the number.
“While Ghana has since made significant strides over the years to promote access to education for many children, there still remain 1 million children out of school – approximately 9% of children aged 4 -16.”
“Quality in the delivery of education remains a challenge, as about 87% of children aged 10 could not read and understand age-appropriate sentences by 2018. Ghana’s government has expressed its commitment to transforming education, and this requires adequate and equitable financing,” Africa Education Watch noted in the statement.
These figures are consistent with UNESCO’s estimates that “244 million children and youth are out of school, and 771 million adults are illiterate.”
EduWatch feared the underfunding of the educational sector in the country will likely erase the strides made so far and so the government should increase its budgetary allocation to education from the current 12% to 23%.
“The recent 40% budgetary cut to basic education (Goods and Services) does not support the transformation agenda of the government. To transform education, the government must increase the current 12% allocation of the national education budget to 23%, in line with the President’s commitment at the 2022 United Nations Transforming Education Summit.
“At least 10% of the Goods and Services budget and 33% of the infrastructure budget of the education sector must be committed to basic education, if we are to invest adequately to build new schools to replace the over 5,000 schools currently under trees and sheds, and provide education for the 1 million out of school children. There is no better day to recommit to adequate and equitable financing of education than the International Day of Education 2023.”