Pursue inclusive, collaborative policies - NCPTA to Education Minister

The National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTAs) has urged the Minister of Education to pursue inclusive and collaborative policies that will provide holistic education that will help bridge the inequality gap in education between rural and urban communities.

It also expressed the hope that he would work towards educational quality whose foundation rested on freedom, democracy, equality, equity and sustainable development as a human right.                                                                    

This was contained in a statement of gratitude from the council to the President for appointing the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, as Minister of Education.

Anticipate

“We anticipate Haruna Iddrisu as a seasoned politician who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way to lead the implementation of these key policy interventions at the pre-tertiary level in the educational sector as contained in the Manifesto and to further assure the minister of NCPTA’s packaged educational solution document for him and the ministry to be delivered on the much anticipated National Stakeholder Consultative Forum.

“Our participation and inputs at the said forum will guide our collective interest as the NDC administration pledges to reset the educational sector,” the statement signed by the Secretary of the NCPTA, Raphael Kofi Gapson, said.

Last week, the minister announced at a press conference that in mid-February, President John Dramani Mahama would open a major education review conference to examine the state and future of education in Ghana.

The education review conference is one of the campaign promises made by President Mahama during the electioneering campaign leading up to the general election in December 2024.

Student leaders

The NCPTA statement said Mr Iddrisu, as a former student leader, National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Trade and Industry and Communications, as well as a lawyer, business magnate, football administrator and a legislator with extensive Parliamentary experience from 2002 till date, and a Former NDC Minority leader, is clearly a “360-degree leader” who has developed and prepared himself as the Minister of Education.

“He brings on board to the Education Ministry unmatched experience, exposure and exceptional leadership of service, an expertise that is currently needed.

“Mr Iddrisu undoubtedly shall bring all stakeholders in the education sector to synergise and leverage their collective strength as a country to protect the image of our educational development and springboard it for transformative growth and the socio-economic development of our country,” it said, and that the “NCPTA is proud to note that our views were captured in pages 89-97 of the Resetting Ghana Manifesto 2024  when the NDC 2024 Manifesto Committee, chaired by Prof. Ambassador Danso Boafo, consulted and engaged NCPTA on how best to tackle the challenges in the education sector at the pre-tertiary level”

The educational policy proposals for implementation as captured on pages 89-97 of the Resetting Ghana Manifesto 2024, it said, delved deep into the challenges from basic education (kindergarten, primary and junior high school) to second-cycle education.