ACHIEVING THE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION,THE GHANAIAN PERSPECTIVE

The country’s quest to achieve universal primary
education as stipulated in the MDGs(goal 2).In Ghana although in one
way or the other doing our best to achieve this target before
2015,there are still some challenges the country confronts as they do
their best to achieve an effective primary education.The following
outlines the improvements in the educational system in Ghana:the
government instituted the Free Compulsory Universal Basic
Education(FCUBE) program,which abolished school fees and introduced a
National School Feeding Program to help achieve 100% basic education
enrollment by 2015.With the implementation of the FCube,a lack of
finances should not prevent parents from sending their children to
school.A daily free ‘hot’ meal should also draw students to
schools.Under the program,net enrollment rates for boys in primary
school increased from 60% in 2004-2005 to 84% in 2007-2008,while that
of girls also increased from 58%.Ghana was allocated a US$33 million grant from the FTI Catalytic Fund
to support the country’s education sector for the period
2005-2009.Pre-data show that enrollment in grade 1 didn’t exceed a 2%
increase per year.As a result,the primary gross intake ratio(GIR)
remained about 85%.After school fees were abolished and the school
feeding program instituted nationally,the numbers of children entering
school for the first time started to rise rapidly which also brings to
mind the nationwide free distribution of school uniforms to children
also saw improvements in primary enrollment.A capitation grant came
into effect providing more funds to districts for basic education.However,aside the progressing trend of dev’t in education,there are
some challenges confronting the country to achieving the goal in
full.These include:the overcrowded classrooms and overwhelmed
teachers, where a class could contain over 60 pupils to one teacher
and also in a situation where three or more classes are merged into
one with their respective tutors teaching at the same time and
distracting attention of both the pupils/students and even the
teachers which would have the lessons held simultaneously,thus making
the teaching and learning process very cumbersome,which also affect
quality teaching and learning.Also,there are some districts in the
country which have received some amount of money from the central
government for the building of more classrooms in the local level but
the government’s representative in the local level diverts the funds
into miscellaneous projects and some go to the extent ‘pocketing’ the
monies.Also,with the students studying under trees,it retrogresses their
education as they would rather stay home in anticipation of the rain
which would distract studies.This is the challenge we face as a
country to the achieving of the goal 2 of the MDGs.
As youths for change,lets do our best to voice out on issues that affects our development and put the governments off their seat and on their toes in the realization fully of the rights of children in the primary schools and fully achieve a universal primary education to
have the free from illiteracy with quality and accessible education for
all.Frank Bruce,IYR,Ghana Leader.

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