After the vetting process of Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Dr. Peter Patey-Anti, the Executive Director of the Institute for Education Studies has eulogized the expertise of the newly appointed Education Minister Hon. Haruna Iddrisu and urged that the NDC Restructure the implementation of the free Tertiary Academic User Fee for all first-year tertiary students.
Dr. Patey-Anti began by providing a detailed analysis of Hon. Iddrisu’s performance, highlighting his grasp of the educational policy landscape and the implications of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) proposed policy. He eulogized;
“He showed the political class. He demonstrated knowledge of the ministry that he’s been asked to go and supervise. He also showed that he understands the educational policy prescriptions of the NDC.”
Dr. Peter Patey-Anti Executive Director (IES)
Meanwhile, Hon. Iddrisu’s articulation and precision in responding to queries were noted as key strengths, indicating his readiness for the ministerial role.
Addressing the anticipation surrounding Hon. Iddrisu’s potential performance, Dr. Patey-Anti cautioned against premature excitement, pointing out that the real challenge lies in execution. Dr. Patey-Anti expressed reservations about the feasibility and sustainability of this policy. He observed;
“The NDC was too excited getting into the 2024 elections, and that led to some of these promises. We have a lot of inefficiencies in the system, and I was thinking that pushing this amount of money to pay for fees for tertiary students wouldn’t be the ideal thing to do. I think after the first year, they should find a way to fix this out and turn the resources to the Students’ Loan Trust Fund.”
“If you are designing a policy to cure that particular challenge, you don’t design it in such a way that it covers those who would ideally still be able to honor the admission.’’
Dr. Peter Patey-Anti Executive Director (IES)
Lessons from Free Senior High School Policy
Drawing parallels with the implementation of the free Senior High School policy, Dr. Patey-Anti warned against repeating past mistakes. He elaborated;
“The same challenge we had with the implementation of the free Senior High School. You are throwing away money to people who technically would be able to pay.”
Dr. Peter Patey-Anti Executive Director (IES)
To ensure that the policy genuinely benefits those in need, Dr. Patey advocated;
“For a party that criticized the implementation of free SHS, you would imagine that in trying to roll out a policy that caters to people who may be disadvantaged, they would also target it by conducting a means test. Research indicates that about 30% of those who go into tertiary education are unable to pay their fees.’’
Dr. Peter Patey-Anti Executive Director (IES)
Meanwhile, others critiqued the proposed reimbursement for those who have already paid their fees, arguing that it could undermine the policy’s sustainability.
Dr. Peter Patey-Anti’s analysis of Haruna Iddrisu’s vetting and the NDC’s educational policy proposals highlights a mix of commendation for Hon. Iddrisu’s competence and caution regarding policy execution.
His insights call for a more targeted and efficient approach to educational funding, ensuring that resources are used to support those in genuine need.
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