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EduWatch Raises Alarm Over Funding for Basic Schools
Africa Education Watch is urging the government to take action to make it easier for the distribution of cash and the smooth supply of textbooks so that basic and senior high schools can continue operating as usual on Tuesday, January 10.
The budget cuts for education for the 2022–2023 academic year, according to the education think tank, will be a significant barrier that needs to be removed to prevent school closures well into the academic year.
According to Divine Kpe, senior programs officer at Africa Education Watch, in an interview with Citi News, the academic calendar faced several difficulties last year that need to be avoided heading into the 2022–2023 academic year.
In light of this, he iterated as follows:
“2023 is going to be a difficult year for basic education because of the budget cuts that basic education has experienced. When you look at the goods and service budget line, it has been reduced by 44 percent.
This year, GH¢167 million has been allocated to basic schools and out of it, GH¢11 million is to go for capitation grants but the students’ population at the basic education level is projected at 6 million, so we need about GH¢60 million for capitation grants alone.
From history too, we know that all the needed funds will not be released because history tells us that it is usually 60 percent that is released.”
Moreover, Mr. Kpe pointed out that in order to provide the necessary funding to schools across the nation, the government should consider uncapping the GETFund.
“Our expectation is that GETFund will be uncapped so that all the money accrued to the fund can be allocated to the schools,” he said.
“Our expectation is that the government will ensure a high percentage of execution of the budget where all the monies should be released to the schools,” he concluded.
Conclusion
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