Civil society organisations (CSOs), financial experts and policymakers at the National Education Forum (NEF) underscored the need for a robust framework for education financing that will ensure sustainability, accountability and inclusivity for the realisation of the expected transformative impact.
The stakeholders at the Greater Accra and Eastern Regional zonal sessions of the NEF, in Accra, argued that the current model of public education funding at the pre-tertiary level was unsustainable, compromised quality; and further made it difficult for the government to equitably allocate its already stretched resources to other equally critical sectors.
They, therefore, recommended other sources of funding for education other than the over-reliance on the government’s budget. Adding that the government’s funding for education should be channeled exclusively into tuition, payment of salaries and infrastructure development while parents pay for school uniforms, feeding, examination fees and other necessities.
Vice Chancellor of the University for Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) – Prof. John Kwaku Mensah Mawutor, in his contribution, reiterated that funding has remained a major impediment to to the realisation of universal quality education in the country; hence, the need for a comprehensive and innovative approach.
To strengthen the government’s funding, the stakeholders called for the effective utilisation of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).
They expressed that funding sources such as GETFund should be used for the purpose for which they were established.
“GETFund is for infrastructure development; it should not be used for scholarships or other things not related to infrastructure,” Edem Asase, a participant, said.
The stakeholders also recommended that policies and incentives should be put in place to attract funding from alumni associations, corporate bodies, religious groups and philanthropists to support infrastructure development in schools.
“When you look critically, one would observe that support from alumni groups – for instance – was mainly at the senior high school (SHS) level, and therefore, there was the need to encourage such associations to also support their alma mater at the basic education level,” he added.
Other recommendations made by the stakeholders included the need to promote accountability and transparency in education financing to ensure value for money for the taxpayer.
“We must ensure that the scarce funds for education are properly utilised and accounted for properly. Those who account properly for them should be rewarded; and those who do not should be sanctioned,” Mr Asase said.