body-container-line-1

REALITY HITS NPP - The early political promises of ‘free education for all’ has proved economically UNSUSTAINABLE

29.11.2012 LISTEN
By NDC Amsterdam

The Interim Executives of the NDC AMSTERDAM BRANCH have just concluded research on countries around the world that have tried out the so-called free education policy, and the findings are rather so astonishing that it raises eyebrows as to how Ghanaian intellectuals / policy makers / educators could sit back and allow this blatant lie to be used as a campaign slogan by the NPP moguls.

Along with a reknowned South African educator and policy maker Mr Edward who assisted and spear-headed the research and had to smile at the notion that a developing country such as Ghana could sit back and have a seasoned politician lying to the mass of Ghanaians that his political party the NPP, can offer Ghanaians free education. In previous extensive studies created for South Africa, where the notion of free education first came up, it because obvious that a rich african nation as South Africa with better infrastructures than that of Ghana tried out this policy by nominating 53 schools across South Africa to take part in what was an approach to see how students / pupils faired in schools where education was supposedly free only to conclude and scrap the idea of free education because the quality of Education worsened with students/pupils failing exams, as opposed to students from Privately owned schools and/or school where students/pupils had to pay for their tuition.


The NDC members that participated in reviewing the findings , were stunned in dismayed, looking at the figures, and outcome of the analysis of the Ghanaian Educational system , in comparison to what the NPP party is blindly preaching to Ghanaians all in a bid to try to woe Ghanaian voters.

This research document is by no means exhaustive but offers some conceptual thoughts central to the development of a National (Political) philosophy and policy framework for Education in the modernity of a rapidly developing technological global environment. In the African context, as much as there is a need to preserve and expand the integrity of a culturally enriched pedagogy, there is equal necessity to ensure that education systems and their attendant curriculum embrace global knowledge and the associated learning imperatives as an integral means to sustaining global relevance and competitive stature.

Ultimately it may be argued, National Governance of any country seeks for all its citizenry social and economic well-being within a pragmatic framework that aims to engender self-empowerment through freedoms in opportunity that encourage sustainable productive endeavour in an environment of socio-economic reciprocity and shared moral and ethical values generally accepted by society as a whole.

In effect this is representative of an equitable partnership between society and those elected to responsibly govern the National aspiration – a communality of shared responsibilities in Nation building. The evident question which arises from this proposition is that which answers and defines the boundaries that transition the intersects of responsibility in the execution of the common National purpose between the State and its responsive public. This is particularly evident in shaping Education Policy.

For many African Countries the experience of re-developing an education system, and for South Africa in the post-Apartheid era, there exists ample evidence which demonstrates the sensitivity of discovering the balance between the State and the Public in shaping their respective responsibilities for educating 'the children of the Nation'. The early political promises of 'free education for all' has proved economically unsustainable. The sentiments of these 'political promises' have created a legacy for Governments which now entrap new initiatives in a reluctant public to visit new paradigms of co-responsibility for equitably sharing responsibility for the development of future generations of young people. Conversely the aspirations of young people in liberated self-actualizing democracies have tendency to show heightened needs for attaining a realisable socio-economic state of well-being as a dependency upon the State.

In many, if not in most instances, under-funding in Education and traditional systems of delivery have all but stalled the basic education systems of Africa to the point of seriously compromising its ability to supply adequately educated students capable of entering the employment market or attending Higher Tertiary Education studies. This demands new concepts in delivery of an affordable universal education system that enriches student opportunity through economic intervention strategies that have universal capacity and acceptability in re-vitalizing the co-operative will of the people to participate substantially in the development of young people and the future of a sustainable National socio-economic capacity.

Early studies and application of available global technologies and know-how have shown viable possibilities for education and the transformation of student engagement and participation in the learning processes. It is generally accepted that the pillars of education excellence lie within the management of the three essential education necessities of :

(a) competent educators and their on-going development

(b) a well-structured and high level core content in curriculum development and,

(c) the inclusion of the student into an inspired and supported learning environment.

All three of these elements are well positioned for global technology to substantially contribute to their improvement and up-liftment and for growing the potential for universal academic excellence. In combination with new concepts of teaching methodologies, student peer to peer interactivity and accessibility to global learning and teaching resources; available global technologies accentuate the potential for universal standards and student support services, administration, accessibility to new knowledge, shared learning development opportunities and lower costs in education delivery and resourcing.

Ultimately education transformation and the fruits of academic excellence will begin through the occurrences of learning activity in the classroom environment stimulated by a symbiotic and inspired relationship between the educator and the student. Technology and its global resourcefulness not only has the capacity to initiate this inspired transformation but, more importantly, enrich the learning environment in such a manner that educators themselves become enthusiastic students in their own domain and from this, sustaining the development of a challenging curriculum for the benefit of their students and the national education system.

Creating these centres of excellence in technology-supported education is well within the reach of all educational institutions and it is here that the role of the State and the public spirit will find the boundaries of co-operative inspiration and responsibility for the benefit of all young people.

The role of the State is systemic to being the instigator in defining and supporting the optimal standards of basic education and the literacy competency of the national expectation supported by the parenting public and private enterprise investing collaboratively to ensure all young people are equitably included into a system of educational opportunity based on academic performance and capacity.

The nation's economy, its health, growth and potential to achieve competitive stature and global significance is a unified blend of co-operative synergy between the State and the citizenry of the nation in an educational joint-venturing - sustainably and jointly ensuring support for all children, however marginalised, capable of realising self-sufficiency and socio-economic well-being.

A universal technological aided learning environment is well adept at economically ensuring a balancing of resources between the State as 'pioneers in innovation' and the public's augmentation of educational excellence through optimal parenting support, positive societal values and encouraged student self-actualisation in education and learning.

NDC Amsterdam branch, headed by the Interim Chairman Mr Dodoo, was delighted to announce that solid partnerships with the GES (Ghana Education Service) and all the Ministries in Ghana is being created by the Mahama administration to ensure that our nation's educational system is holistically reviewed in a way that it offers a better Ghana for all our citizenry , he thanked however the NPP for bringing education into the limelight, but also highlighted that they was no need whatsoever for the NPP to lie to Ghanaians by giving Ghanaians false hope. He called on Ghanaian intellectuals to step up to the plate and educate the masses about the realities of our development as a nation.

Mr. Fred Morgan an Interim Executive said Ghanaians voters must think twice, and our Radio stations and other media ought to act responsibly by daring to challenge the empty promises, un-achievable utterances some politicians give or make. While the Interim Chairman Mr. Dodoo stated that the Solid partnerships in and with the educational sector is something our Late President John Evans Attah Mills and the now President John Dramani Mahama hold dear to their heart. Partnerships created with technology experts who have looked at the Ghanaian template and are ready to assist in transforming Ghana into the dependable educational hub its always been for mother Africa. Mr Dodoo, praised Ghanaians for standing up and asking the right questions. Ghana deserves a leadership that can pioneer our dreams into reality. Long live Ghana. Vote wisely.

Mr Dodoo
Interim Chairman of the NDC AMSTERDAM BRANCH
[email protected]

body-container-line