EduWatch publishes report on textbooks in public primary schools

Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) after the Minister for Finance, Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta announced in the 2024 budget that 9.5 million textbooks have been procured for basic schools has released a report on the Minister’s claim.

The education think tank in a post said its research in 20 districts indicates 65% of core textbooks are available adding that 20 districts from the north, middle and southern belts of Ghana were purposively selected for the study.

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“The report was compiled from a study aimed at examining the availability of textbooks, exercise books and other teaching and learning resources in public primary schools to inform the strengthening of systems, policies and budgets,” the Education Watch said in the social media post sighted by AcademicWeek.com

Key findings

1. Out of the over 1 million core (English Language, Mathematics, Science and Creative Arts) textbooks required for the 270,134 pupils in the 20 selected districts, only 680,672 (62%) were available, leaving a deficit of 339,864 (38%).

2. Since 2018, none of the schools in the sampled districts received exercise books from the local or central government.

3. In the Tatale Sanguli district in northern Ghana, about 14 per cent of pupils did not have a single exercise book.

4. In the Greater Accra region, schools had Mathematics textbooks for Basic 1 to 6 pupils, while in the sampled northern districts, only 1 district (Nabdam) had Mathematics textbooks in schools, which were even limited to only Basic 1 to 3 pupils.

5. There were no Creative Arts textbooks for Basic 4, 5 and 6 pupils across the 20 sampled districts.

Recommendations

1. The Ministry of Finance should release the GHC 85 million allocated for textbooks under the approved 2023 GETFund formulae to facilitate the procurement of extra textbooks for 2023, and make provision in the 2024 budget for the deficit of GHC 115 million required for textbooks in basic schools.

2. The Ministry of Education and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment should fast-track the development and procurement of textbooks for Junior High Schools in the new curriculum.

3. The GES must ensure that any future distribution of textbooks prioritises districts with high deficits to attain a balanced Pupil-Textbook Ratio among the various districts.

4. District Education Offices must map out schools within their districts with excess textbooks and retrieve same for redistribution to schools with deficits.

5. The MoE must re-introduce the free exercise book policy for public basic schools.