National Education Forum engagements successful — Prof. Oduro

The engagements with stakeholders on the National Education Forum have been very successful, given the strong enthusiasm and interest shown by the public to make inputs on how to shape the country's educational system, the Chairman of the National Education Forum Planning Committee, Prof. George K.T. Oduro, has said.

He explained that people belonging to certain groups would even call for their input to be taken, adding that "so far, it has been very successful".

Prof. Oduro said this yesterday when the committee met members of faith-based organisations (FBOs) to get their inputs as part of the broader consultation with various stakeholders.

The dialogue was attended by representatives from the Christian Council, the Ghana Catholic Bishop's Conference, the Ahmadiyya Movement and the Federation of Muslim Associations.

He said the FBOs had a crucial role to play in shaping educational delivery and that at the centre of that was character development, among other things.

Consultations

The Government of Ghana has committed to conduct a series of consultations to critically examine issues and challenges in the education sector.

The consultations will collate and build consensus for education on the theme: “Transforming education for a sustainable future”.

This will contribute to achieving the government's vision of an "enhanced education system to nurture talents, foster innovation and equip students to be globally competitive with relevant skills for the fast-changing world of work".

Importance

Prof. Oduro emphasised the importance of unity and the role of religious values in shaping education.

He said religious studies were integral to Ghana’s educational history and acknowledged concerns from major religious groups such as the Christian Council, the Ghana Catholic Bishops

Conference, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission and the Federation of Muslim Associations about their initial exclusion.

Prof. Oduro gave an assurance that steps had been taken to include them in the discussions, “and today’s event is a testimony of that”.

“We would be able to come out with decisions that will help our younger ones who go through education to come out as balanced people,” he said.

He said the committee was hoping to have a validation meeting on March 12, 2025, where stakeholders, this time development partners, would be engaged.

“So the policy framework will be designed and presented to the government as a blueprint and then, based on the government's reaction, we'll now come up with an action plan,” he said.

Commitment

A Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr Issahaque Munawaru, emphasised the government's commitment to inclusive education and the transformation of pre-tertiary and tertiary education.

He stressed that education policies should be continuously validated through consultations and reaffirmed the role of FBOs in Ghana’s education system.

“We believe that when we forgive the government for the oversight, we can openly and sincerely contribute to the progress of this nation.

“This is because we are not just looking at human capital formation for the sake of it, but we are looking at its contribution to national development,” he said.