8-Member Committee to spearhead National Education Forum
President John Dramani Mahama has set up an eight-member committee to spearhead the National Education Forum, a platform to critically analyse the current education system and propose solutions to address the gaps.
To be chaired by former Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Prof. George K. T. Oduro, the committee is expected to develop a theme and sub-themes to guide stakeholder engagement.
The other members are Prof. Goski Alabi, Prof. Rosemary Bosu, Samuel Awuku, Ph.D, and Prof. Smile Dzisi. The rest are Kofi Asare, Stephen Owusu and Inusah Shiraz.
It has a two-week deadline to submit its report.
Mandate
A statement signed by the Acting Spokesperson to the President, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said the committee had been tasked to identify key stakeholders in the education sector, including students, parents, teachers (pre-tertiary and tertiary, including the private sector), researchers, civil society organisations, development partners, religious bodies, political parties, Ghanaian educational researchers in the diaspora, chiefs and heads of educational institutions.
Parliamentary Select Committee on Education will also be invited as participants.
They are to develop a stakeholder activity agenda with time allocations such as thematic breakout sessions and plenaries, among others.
They are to propose a venue and date(s) for the forum, set up a secretariat to document activities, provide a budget for the National Education Forum, develop a comprehensive report detailing the findings and recommendations of the Forum and draft a national education policy framework and propose an action plan for implementing the recommendations within three weeks after the forum.
Background
Following his swearing-in, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, paid a visit to the ministry where he announced that the National Education Forum would be held to assess the country’s education sector.
He said the stakeholders’ forum on education would help determine the current state of education in the country to strategise on the way forward.
“This conference will serve as a platform to critically analyse our current education system and propose solutions to address the gaps,” he stated.
He added that the government aimed to ensure that education in Ghana was reformed to guarantee quality and relevance at all levels.