Professor in Educational Leadership at the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration at the University of Cape Coast, George K.T. Oduro has strongly criticized the Ministry of Education’s proposal to rebrand public basic education through the introduction of a new set of uniforms and repainting of the colour of public basic schools in the country.
Professor George K.T. Oduro, the former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast in expressing his concerns about the Ministry’s approach, questioned the effectiveness and priorities of such a strategy.
He emphasized the need for the Ministry of Education to critically assess whether altering the colour or style of school uniforms would truly address the core challenges faced by public basic education in the country.
“It is essential to question whether prioritizing school uniforms in the rebranding agenda aligns with the actual needs of public basic schools. Uniforms, while important for fostering a sense of identity, cannot alone rectify the systemic issues affecting the performance and image of public schools”.
Professor K. T Oduro
Public Basic Schools Vs, Private Basic Schools
Furthermore, Professor K.T Oduro recounted that the crux of the matter lies not in the aesthetics of school uniforms, but in the glaring disparities in resources and support between public and private basic schools.
He pointed out several key issues that he noted with concerns continue to plague public basic education in the country and called for reassessment of the Ministry of Education priorities.
These challenges confronting public basic education in the country according to Professor Oduro include inadequate infrastructure, insufficient teaching and learning resources, and the lack of support for children with learning difficulties among a host of others.
The Professor in Educational Leadership at the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration at the University of Cape Coast also bemoaned the disparity in budgetary allocation to basic education under the current government.
He noted that in 2023 financial budget for instance only 4% of the education budget was allocated to primary education, underscoring how public basic education has not been a prioritize under the current government.
According to Professor Oduro addressing these issues would be more assuring for enhancing the image of public basic schools because they will have direct impact on improving the academic performance of public basic schools in the country.
Moreover, Professor K. T Oduro emphasized the importance for the Ministry of Education to conduct a thorough competitor analysis to understand why private basic schools outperform their public counterparts.
Such analysis he posited would reveal that factors such as the existence of over 8,000 primary schools operating under trees, late release of essential grants, and inadequate teaching materials significantly hinder the performance and image of public schools in the country.
He thus admonished that if the Ministry truly seeks to enhance the image of public basic education, it must address these fundamental challenges.
Professor Oduro also urged the Ministry of Education to invest in the necessary human and material resources as it is paramount for improving academic performance and ultimately reshaping the perception of public schools.
The former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast concluded by stating that while the Ministry’s initiative to introduce new uniforms may garner attention, it risks overlooking the systemic issues that perpetuate the image deficit of public basic education in the country.
He thus urged the Ministry of Education to reconsider its priorities and allocate resources where they are most needed to effect meaningful change.
He also emphasized that the absence of substantial support for quality teaching and learning in the public basic education in the country would continue to worsen the low image of public basic education.
