Challenges in educational system to achieve Vision 2020

Tarkwa (W/R), Aug. 24 GNA - Mr David Kwesi Renner, Managing Director, Anglogold Ashanti (Iduapriem) Limited, has said government can achieve its vision of being a technologically competitive global economy by the year 2020, if existing challenges in the educational system were addressed. He said though, a number of educational reforms were instituted in the country since the early 1970s, the two most important ones that have been relevant in shaping the nature of basic education were the Education Programme introduced in 1987/88 and Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (F-CUBE) introduced in 1996. Mr Renner said F-CUBE among others, brought to expand access to good basic education, promote efficient learning and teaching, improve teacher moral and motivation through incentive programmes and improve teacher community relations.

He said a number of programmes and interventions have since been implemented by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports with the support of NGOs and other developmental partners like UNICEF, to expand access to basic education.

Mr Renner said GETFund was also introduced to provide the desperately needed financial capital to further develop the educational system.

He said, however that, "despite these achievements, considerable challenges still exist, which required to be addressed in a more holistic manner to ensure that the government can achieve its vision of being technologically and globally competitive economy by the year 2020".

Mr Renner said these during a Speech and Prize-Giving Day and Silver Jubilee Celebration of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) Basic School at Tarkwa.

The theme for the celebration was "Quality Basic Education, the Bedrock of National Development; the Achievements and Challenges". Mr Renner said the government recently put forward an aggressive 13 years strategic plan for education, which included putting about 60 per cent of the school-going population today through science and technological education.

"But let's ask ourselves, how much effort has actually gone into providing the necessary implements that will make this vision materialize, since its inception in 2003?

How many schools in the country could boast of an ICT centres? How many teachers are being trained internally or externally for that matter, to acquire the knowledge needed to develop our children in the schools around the country? Does the Ghana Education Service (GES), as the oversight body at the district level have the capacity to implement such an ambitious target?" He questioned.

Mr Renner believed that the private business sector, also has a role to play in the development of basic education in the country and as part of Anglogold Ashanti's corporate social responsibilities, it has embraced the concept of Early Childhood Development Centres to assist with the education of the very young ones. He said this is because, Anglogold strongly believes that children must be nurtured right from their formative years to build a strong foundation in their lives.

He said Anglogold Ashanti also provides scholarships to needy but brilliant pupils and also incentives to teachers in the schools in the neighbouring communities to enable them go the extra mile in teaching the children.