The Research and Advocacy Network (RAN) of the NPP has followed discussions on the Secondary Education Improvement Project loan secured by Government to amongst others, offer scholarship package which include the provision of sanitary pads to pupils and would like to state the following.
1) It is commendable that government is rooting policy implementation on evidence based research findings. This is in line with RAN's objective of moving away from politics of insults and names calling towards serious discussions and intellectual analysis of ramifications of policies.
However we find the attempts to pick and choose and sometimes even twist research findings as we see in the commentaries of Government officials, especially the Hon. Ministers of Education and Gender and Social Protection, and Deputy Minister of Education, in charge of tertiary ,very disingenuous and they stand accused of intellectual dishonesty.
In their justification of Government's decision to distribute free sanitary pads, these officials argue that research by Linda Scott Sue Dopson, Paul Montgomery, Catherin Dolan, Caitlin Ryus of university of oxford conducted in Ghana in 2008/9 has 'shown that provision of free disposable pads improve school attendance amongst girls, and potentially improve retention. However, on page six of the updated (2012) version of this often-cited research which was done by the same oxford researchers, which we believe government is aware of, the researchers stated 'at a proximal level, the Puberty and Menstrual Management Education component is the active ingredient in school attendance and retention amongst puberty girls.
'The current research evidence is that the girl who received ONLY puberty and menstrual management education 'produced similar result to those who receive the pads. This evidence entirely voids the plausibility (if any) of the decision to provide free sanitary pads to improve retention. In that same study, the researchers noted 'the girls rather found the education component of the intervention rather enjoyable and helpful.
Again it is unambiguously stated in the research findings that 'the degree to which menstruation acts as a barrier to education is more closely related to cultural dynamics. In the often cited 2008\9 research, the researchers stated 'we do not know whether the gains achieved would be sustained once the girls are accustomed to the pads, they further warned that 'it is essential that further studies over a longer period be done before policy decisions committing funding especially from poor governments. ' it is therefore our position that government has other intentions other than school retention for its decision to distribute free sanitary pads and we call on it to tell us the truth.
2) The discussions have regrettably focused on the distribution of sanitary pads, now that the deception and bad faith of the governments has been exposed, we call on all to begin to look at the greater danger, inflated projects costs, scholarships implementation agency, the rising dept. to G.D.P ratio etc., we find it rather inconsistent that the cost of building secondary schools as captured in the 2014 budget statement is approximately GhC 6milloin whiles the budget for the loan facility is GhC13 .9 million. If there are differences in the design and the facilities we demand further and better particulars from government on those and we ask where in lies the moral justification in the exemption of the Volta, Upper West, Eastern, Brong Ahafo regions from these 'Superior' secondary schools. It is our position the project costs have been inflated and that this project in its current form does not deliver value for money.
3) President Mahama announced in his state of the nation address, the commencement of free SHS from the 2015/16 academic year. How do we reconcile this with the fact that government intends to give scholarships even during and beyond the 2015/16 academic year? These two positions are contradictory and further suggest that there is more to this project than meets the eye. We support the development of education and that is why we ask whether government has accessed the impact of earlier interventions such as the distribution of free lap tops? What is the current state of the school feeding program, the capitation grant and other such programs?
RAN appeals to government to prioritize running a country and developing a nation over winning elections in 2016. We are yet to recover from the reckless expenditures that secured the NDC's 2012 victory, let us not begin another round of election winning antics that would in the long run endanger the whole country.
Signed:
Spokespersons
Pius Enam Hadzide 0244 380240
Nana Asafo-Adjei 0249 655353
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