Ghana’s educational system heavily politicized – Nii Armah Addy

Educationist and Management Expert, Nii Armah Addy has expressed his displeasure over the politicization of Ghana’s educational system.

According to him, the drop in the percentage of the results in the 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) as compared to 2020 results shows that the country is not making any headway in the educational system.

“There is huge politics playing in our educational system particularly with the Free Senior High School. I mean last year, our president His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was jubilating and saying this Nana Addo’s graduates are better. Some have said that, was it because it was an election year, so something ought to be done in order for the government to look good".

"But just a year after the percentage has dropped which tells you that we are not making progress as a country, we are not making continuous progress because, if last year we got let’s say 60%, this year we expect to get over 60%. But if the percentage this year is lower than what it is and probably, we will wait till 2024 when we are going to another election year and mark well my words this day, you will see another rise in percentage pass. We will not be wrong or out of place if we say education is being politicized and you expect that we would say we need to do better. So yes, and without missing words, I can say our educational system is being heavily politicized,” he stated.

Further speaking, Nii Armah Addy called on the government to empower the National Educational Planning Committee in order to be effective in depoliticizing the educational system.

“We can depoliticize our education by calling for the National Educational Planning Committee to be very effective and empowered so that when we have a policy which we think is very good to work for the country, it is put to the National Development Planning so that it doesn’t change with the political change of office. We don’t have to disturb our education with politics so we should take from the hands of the politician and put it to people who are neutral hands. People who are committed to the development of our education".

"Their work would be monitored and carefully evaluated. We as parents and school management have a role to play. You don’t sit feeling that they will victimize you when you speak on the things that would help our country to develop. You must be free to speak about the development of the country rather than the fear of being victimized and of course that is what it is,” he recommended.

Nii Armah Addy added that Nigeria is doing better than Ghana as far as the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is concerned.

“Mr. Salamat has made a very good observation and has supported his point with statistics and which is also collaborated by the executive director of African Education Watch Mr. Kofi Asare, so yes, they are right to that extent. They are right to the extent that they have the statistics backing their claim".

"Because of the Covid situation, I think some other countries redraw from the exams I don’t know if that’s what it is but yes Nigeria is doing better than us in the last three years which means that there might be something that they are doing that we are not doing for which reason we need to look at it,” he said.