Declining budgetary allocation to basic education a recipe for education privatization and commercialization [Article]

The government, recognizing the importance of education in the transformation of individuals and the national development agenda, has promised to back its education policy commitments with the necessary resource allocation in order to achieve SDG 4 by 2030.

Whilst recognizing the financial contribution of Ghana’s Development Partners (DPs) in the education sector, it is important for the government to view financing of education as a national responsibility, and ensure adequate resource spending in the education sector to achieve education targets and outcomes.

There have however been budgetary constraints, particularly across the pre-tertiary levels kindergarten to Junior high school (KG-JHS). Analysis of budget data shows dips in budget allocation to the sector from 23% in 2019 to 16.2% in 2020, ostensibly due to the economic impacts of COVID-19 on the country.

At the Global Education Summit held in July 2021 in the United Kingdom (UK), President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo pledged to spend at least 23% of the national budget towards the development of education in the country over the next medium-term from 2021 to 2025 but that commitment is yet to be fulfilled as the 2021 budget allocated 14.2% of total government expenditure to the education sector.

Though the government allocates on average about 15% of total government expenditure to education, it is below the 17% average for Lower Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).

CAPCOE’S MISSION

Campaign Against Privatization and Commercialization of Education – CAPCOE was launched in 2015 by a coalition of the teachers’ Unions at the pre-tertiary level-GNAT, NAGRAT, TEWU and CCT- Gh and Civil Society Organisations led by Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC).

It is Ghana’s Chapter of the Global Response Campaign to create awareness and respond to the emergence of low-cost profit schools also known as low-fee -for-profit schools and to ensure that SDG 4 is achieved.

CAPCOE, as its name may suggest, is not against private participation in education delivery but seeks to advocate for improvement and expansion in public education infrastructure to provide quality equitable basic education for all children irrespective of their socio–economic status, geographical location, or religious background.  Simply put, there should be public basic schools within reasonable distances, giving parents the discretion and the power to choose where to educate their wards.

In spite of Article 25 (2) of the 1992 constitution which gives the right to individuals to provide education at their own expense, CAPCOE, and its partners; the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Foundation (FES) and Education International Africa (EI), want to lay emphasis on Article 25(1) (a) which puts the responsibility of education provision on the state. Article 25(1) (a) expands this provision by stating that every child should have the right to equal educational opportunities and these shall be free and available to all.

DEPRIVATION IN GOVERNMENT BASIC SCHOOLS

Unfortunately, it is sad to say that all the commitments made by the Government of Ghana towards increasing domestic financing on education have been largely verbal. Per a study conducted by CAPCOE in 2021 with support from OXFAM Ghana,

about 5403 schools operate under trees and in dilapidated structures making it unattractive for parents to enroll their wards.

Over 4000 primary schools in rural Ghana do not have Junior High Schools. The study also revealed that 147,000 children drop out of school annually with 30 pupils dropping out on a daily basis. The results reveal that the majority of school dropouts fall within the communities that have basic schools without Junior High Schools.

The Ghana Statistical Service has identified about 1.2m Ghanaian children between the ages of 4 to18 years who have never been enrolled in school.

In 2022, with support from FES Ghana, CAPCOE conducted a study on classroom infrastructure and how it or lack thereof impacts learning outcomes in urban public schools. The study revealed that inadequate infrastructure created overcrowded classrooms, affecting learning outcomes negatively.

The study identified average class size in urban and peri-urban communities to be 60 with the extreme being 120. This is above the recommended class size of 25 to 30 for effective and play-based learning under the new curriculum being implemented. The lack of classroom furniture continues to impact teaching and learning negatively as some learners have to write lying on their bellies; not leaving out inadequate places of convenience for learners. A situation that especially keeps girls out of school for at least a week, every month.

Also, the full complement of textbooks is yet to be supplied to learners at all levels of basic education.

THE RISE OF LOW-FEE-FOR-PROFIT SCHOOLS

The severe deprivation in public basic schools has created a convenient environment for private Edu-business operators to mushroom substandard low-fee-for-profit schools into several peri-urban areas of the country. The state sadly sees these as a relief on the education budget and the overall outcome is the large number of Ghanaian children unable to access free quality basic education.

The 2023 budget analysis report published by Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) revealed the basic education sub-sector would continue to see a further decline in its share of the education sector budget within the new 2023 – 2025 medium-term expenditure framework.

Capping the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has made it nearly impossible to fix the huge classroom deficit as well as other teaching and learning resources This is projected to negatively impact learning outcomes in public basic schools in the short term and the skillsets of Ghana’s human resource capital in the next decade.

RECOMMENDATIONS

CAPCOE is calling on duty bearers to adhere to Articles 25(1) and 38 (a,b ) of the 1992 constitution that place the responsibility of providing free quality and equitable basic education on the state and recommends a public debate and key stakeholder engagements to consider alternative sustainable means of financing of basic education through domestic resources.

In addition, CAPCOE recommends that:

• Leadership of Teacher Unions at the pre-tertiary level- GNAT, NAGRAT, TEWU and CCT- Gh and Civil Society Organisations to take steps to ensure the amount to be paid as Capitation grant is negotiated for on an annual basis to reflect the real cost of running public basic schools.
• The classroom block design for Kindergarten and primary is given 21st-century appeal to make the learning environment more conducive for the young ones to explore and become creative critical thinkers.
• All Ghanaians especially parents of pupils in public basic schools join the campaign to de-cap the GETFund, to release funds to solve the basic education infrastructure deficit in line with article (25) (1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
• At least 40% of the education sector budget is allocated to Primary and JHS education to build a strong foundation for learners and equip them to advance in further education and training.
• The Ghana Education Service (GES) should deploy teachers based on needs assessment to ensure no classroom is denied a professional teacher irrespective of geographical location and economic conditions.
• The GES should implement a 20% salary incentive for teachers serving in deprived and hard-to-reach schools.
• The Ministry of Education (MOE) should ensure Textbooks are in adequate supply covering all subjects at all levels.
• Take steps to solve perennial school feeding challenges and extend it to cover all learners in basic schools including those in Junior high school (JHS).

Government is encouraged to fulfil its commitment to support the reforms planned for the education sector and ultimately improve learning outcomes, particularly at the pre-tertiary level.