Achieving SDG4 Requires Active Participation Of Everyone

Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwah, the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, said on Monday that active participation of government and stakeholders in education would ensure the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal four.

'Attaining SDG4 requires policies and programmes that place people at the centre and calls for constructive engagement of citizens and Civil Society Organisations in shaping decisions to facilitate the achievement of the goals,' he said.

Speaking at the launch of Global Action Week for Education 2018, Prof Opoku-Amankwah said there was the need to strengthen citizen participation and accountability in education management to meet the needs and fulfil the educational rights of children and the youth.

The theme for the Action Week is, 'Strengthening Citizen Participation and Accountability in Education Management: A Milestone for Achieving SDG4'.

The SDG4 ensures that all girls and boys complete free primary and secondary schooling by 2030. It also aims to provide equal access to affordable vocational training, to eliminate gender and wealth disparities, and achieve universal access to a quality higher education.

The event was organised by the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC).

He said strengthening citizen participation in education management did not only rest on advocacy, but it included identification of problems confronting the sector and providing alternative solutions, active involvement through consultation and providing feedback on issues to improve service delivery.

According to the Director General, accountability in education management was critical in monitoring the effectiveness of a school system, proper evaluation of institutional process and school administrative procedure to ensure quality education.

Prof Opoku-Amankwah explained that the importance of accountability in education was to respond to the implicit social contract between society and the school systems, which were set of policies and practices used by a state to measure Education Managers.

He said the GES objective in the National Medium Term Development Plan was to increase inclusive and equitable access and participation in education at all levels and to improve management of education service delivery.

Prof Opoku-Amankwah said government would continue to build the capacity of School Management Committees, the Parent Teacher Associations and all stakeholders in the sector to enhance citizen participation and accountability in education management.

He stated that the organisation of School Performance Appraisal Meeting and the activities of the District Education strengthen citizen participation and accountability in improved learning outcomes, which was a prerequisite for achieving the SDG4.

Mr Bright Appiah, the Executive Council Chair, GNECC urged government to provide the enabling environment that would be convenient for students to improve teaching and learning in schools.

He said the Coalition was ready to support government in the attainment of the SDG4 and encouraged all to be involved in improve the country's educational development agenda.

The Coalition as part of activities lined-up for the Global Action Week would organise programmes on specific areas of topics across the regions including Education in Urban Slams, Learning Outcomes, Inclusive Education, Education Access and Finance, among others.