The Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has launched EDUFESTO 2024, aimed at influencing political parties’ manifestos to achieve balanced attainment of the policy objectives of Ghana’s Education Strategic Plan (ESP 2018-2030) and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).

According to Eduwatch, EDUFESTO seeks to ensure that governing boards of education sector institutions have key performance indicators for supervising finance, procurement, and general statutory compliance, thereby reducing financial waste.

Eduwatch indicated that this initiative aims to enforce competitive procurement as a norm, rather than an exception.

“EDUFESTO is Eduwatch’s Education Manifesto for the 2024 elections engagement. On 7th December 2024, Ghana heads to the polls to elect a new leader for the next four (4) years (2025-2028)”.
“Eduwatch, as part of our elections engagement strategy has been meeting political party manifesto committees to influence their manifestos towards achieving a balanced attainment of the policy objectives of the Education Strategic Plan (2018-2030) and key education Sustainable Development Goals targets by 2030”.
Africa Education Watch

Through EDUFESTO, Eduwatch demanded that the next government develop and implement a five-year plan to eliminate all schools under trees and achieve parity in infrastructure between primary and Junior High Schools (JHS).

Eduwatch further requested that the next administration implement a plan to equip all public basic schools with ICT facilities and desks, while also promoting education that is transformative for gender equality and responsive to climate change.

According to Eduwatch, the next government must roll out a plan to provide Science and Mathematics learning kits to all public basic schools and implement a 20% allowance for teachers serving in deprived communities.

Eduwatch called on the next government to establish a demand-driven, decentralized teacher recruitment system and enhance the quality of Kindergartens by improving teacher training, infrastructure, furniture, and supervision.

Furthermore, Eduwatch urged the next government to introduce basic practical agriculture (farming) in Junior High Schools (JHS) and develop assessment tools to measure pupils’ attainment of 21st-century skills, as emphasized in the Standard-Based Curriculum.

Likewise, the EDUFESTO also called on the next government to localize food procurement for secondary schools and streamline the allocation of funds.

Additional Priorities For Next Government

Moreover, Eduwatch insisted that the next administration make school placement data publicly available on the Computerized School Selection and Placement System’s website and display it on notice boards in schools.

The EDUFESTO also emphasized that the next government should reform the academic system to release Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results before secondary school placement.

Eduwatch recommended that the next government relocate the Free SHS Secretariat and the administration of the Free SHS program from the Ministry of Education to the Ghana Education Service.

“[The next government must] develop a means testing mechanism to target free SHS. This includes identifying the poor, using comprehensive national household registry data; Roll out a plan to digitalize TVET delivery and assessment in TVIs; Establish an independent regulator for the pre-tertiary assessment sector”.
“Amend the West African Examination Council law to address new dynamics in examination fraud; Install CCTV cameras in examination halls to eliminate exam malpractice; Exclude teachers from invigilation and supervision; Pilot e-testing in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination”.
Africa Education Watch

Eduwatch further urged the next administration to introduce a study support financial scheme for TVET and STEM students in tertiary education.

The EDUFESTO requested that the next administration review STEM scholarships to prioritize girls’ participation, not just those who are brilliant in STEM, and establish business incubation and start-up support schemes in TVET institutes and Technical Universities for TVET graduates.

Additionally, Eduwatch recommended promoting TVET institutions’ linkages with industry through tax incentives.

It also demanded that the government abolish the teacher training allowance and strengthen the Student Loan Scheme to cover all tertiary students, including teacher trainees, and complete all abandoned infrastructure projects in Colleges of Education.

“[The next government must] Uncap and commit at least 33 percent of the Ghana Education Trust Fund to basic education infrastructure; Automatically benchmark the Capitation Grant and Ghana School Feeding Program against inflation using an indexation mechanism”.
Africa Education Watch

Eduwatch recommended that the next government commit to the following education expenditure allocations: 50% for Basic Education, 2% for Complementary Education, 1% for Special Education, 15% for SHS, 5% for TVET, 20% for tertiary education, and 7% for education management and administration.

The EDUFESTO also advocated for the government to enact a Legislative Instrument under the Pre-Tertiary Education Act of 2020 (Act 1049), define funding norms for each sub-sector, and allocate at least 25% of total public expenditure or 6% of GDP to education.