The President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Mr Daniel Oppong Kyeremeh has rallied government as well as other stakeholders in the education sector to consciously work to prioritise issues that addresses the welfare and wellbeing of Ghanaian students.
Addressing the second edition of the NUGS Education Conference in Accra on Monday, Mr Kyeremeh noted that evidence abounds that education is the best pivot on which revolves the attainment of proper human development.
This, he stressed, meant that policy and decision makers in the educational sector must include the very persons whose interest they seek in the drafting, designing and implementation of educational policies in the country.
“I implore you to consider our concerns and issues by setting up a Youth Advisory Board to ensure that you make student leaders part of policy formulation, designing and implementation so that you can adequately and appropriately attend to the needs of Ghanaian students who i believe are at the core of every educational system government intends to initiate”, the NUGS President appeealed.
De-capping of GETFUND:
The Ghanaian Students Leader re-echoed the need for the Ministry of Education to remove the cap it has placed on the funds allocated through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) for the implementation of projects.
He noted that the funds released by GETFUND to schools have been inadequate to carry out the sort of projects the schools need on campus.
Getting full access to the entire amount allocated by government under GETFUND, Mr Kyeremeh stated could spark the wave of total transformation on campuses across Ghana.
“Most of the notable senior high schools have been able to carry out massive infrastructural and developmental projects on campus because they got support from the GETFUND and we believe many others can have same story to share when the full amount allocated to GETFUND are released to schools for project implementation”, the NUGS leader stated passionately.
Commendation and Honour:
The NUGS President commended the Education Ministry and the Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum for showing commitment to the course of education in the country.
“Apart from the implementation of the free SHS policy that has shot up numbers of persons getting access to undertake secondary school education, other innovations and designs such as Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) models by the Ministry have highly shaped the phases of the educational system and we commend highly Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum for these”, Mr Kyeremeh stressed.
Non-Politicisation:
Mr Kyeremeh cautioned the politicisation of the educational system of the country, adding that the Ghanaian student would ultimately bear the consequences of bad policies in the sector if such is implemented.
“As the 2024 election draws closer rather than seeking to down play the current systems that may be working for the country, suggestions of different approaches should be done without the usual politics that is associated with same”, the NUGS President stated.
Education Minister:
Speaking at the conference, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Ghana’s Minister for Education underscored the commitment of government to continue investments into the educational system.
This, he noted, is to make the educational system modern, innovative and highly technological to respond to the questions the current times present.
The Minister charged Ghanaian students to continue to use the time they have in school wisely and judiciously since that would yield better returns for them in the future.
“Let no one deceive you because the best times are ahead of you and your attainment of quality and innovative education such as you have now would help to shape your future and make you impactful citizens of Ghana”, the Minister posited.