The Progressive People’s Party will commit 30% of the national budget to the funding of education should it win the December general elections.
Outlining the party’s policy on education at a press briefing in Accra, PPP founder Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom said additionally, the party will commit itself to the spending of an estimated 5.5 billion Ghana cedis over a five year period on education.
He explained his government will undertake this policy by strengthening government’s revenue generation institutions, checking wastes and leakages as well as re-ordering government priority areas in order to enable the educational sector get a higher share of the national budget.
Dr. Nduom told journalists issues relating to poor quality education in the country, low teacher motivation, low teacher to students ratio, inadequate teaching facilities and instructional materials, poor supervisions and monitoring and inadequate quality and quantity of educated people to meet the current demands will be addressed.
“We will deploy an “education police” to enforce the compulsory aspect of our policy. An integral part of this objective will be to significantly increase vocational training so that all school leavers gain employable skills. This will include a comprehensive sports programme to instill discipline and promote better health”, Dr. Nduom said.
He said the PPP’s education policy is different from the “expanding access” outlined by the NDC administration and the “free Senior High School education” proposed by the NPP’s Presidential aspirant, Nana Akuffo Addo adding the PPP’s policy recognizes the need to expand educational facilities.
It will ensure that a free senior high school education is a right for all children and does not perpetuate the privilege reality of today where only those who manage to pass the BECE examination and secure a place advance to the high school level.