EduWatch reveals ‘most deprived’ region in the education sector

Education think tank – Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) has labelled the Northern region as the most deprived region in the country’s education sector saying the majority of the children in the region barely enrol in school.

In a social media post sighted by AcademicWeek, the Watch said “over 70% do not have common desks (Eduwatch, 2022), yet their leaders are in Accra doing party politics with nothing transformational to show in schools back home.”

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Citing a UNICEF 2020 academic year report, it continued that “the traditional Northern Region is the most deprived in the education sector. Only 55% of children complete primary school due to the long distance to school and poverty.”

The Executive Director of the policy think tank, Mr Kofi Asare on his part said no government has ever shown any deliberacy or attempt to facelift basic education in the North to catch up with the rest of Ghana.

In another story, the Minister in charge of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum says he will not do anything that will disadvantage private schools adding that the government will create an enabling environment for them to thrive.

Acknowledging them for their enormous contribution to the education sector, the Minister for Education said he would not implement policies and programmes that will undermine the efforts of private schools and their owners.

“I believe that private schools are contributing to the socio-economic development of Ghana in a very positive way,” the Education Minister and Bosomtwe Member of Parliament said at the 12th The Education Network conference.

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum at the conference held at Lincoln Community School added that “The least I can do is to make your job easier. I will not do anything that will disadvantage you. If I disadvantage you I’m hurting myself.”

Commenting on the state of the country’s education sector, he said the Nana Akufo-Addo-led administration had committed more resources to ward education development in the country than any other government.

“We are fortunate to have Akufo-Addo as the President of the nation. He has committed to education like none other and for benefit of some who may not know much about our public education system,” the Education Minister noted.