The Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) has cautioned government on the implementation of the Ghana Partnership Schools (GPS) Project.
The coalition described the project as subtle privatization and commercialization of the education system, and therefore urged government through the minister of education to suspend the implementation of the project for broader consultation.
Chairman of GNECC, Kofi Asare addressing the media on Monday said, the coalition will vehemently oppose any attempt to commodify public education in the country
According to Kofi Asare, GNECC after participating in the initial planning phase of Ghana Partnership Schools project, observed that the GPS project seeks to hand over the management of low performing public schools to private firms; and the ministry of education intends to reward these private firms based on the learning outcomes that they achieve in managing these schools.
Kofi Asare stated
“The Coalition views this as an attempt to commodify and privatize education using public funds and on this basis, we believe that the ministry of education must apply the breaks for further consultation and review their approach in implementing the project.”
He however added that they are not against the project but rather against any attempts to commodify education.
“We are not against the project but we are against any attempt to commodify education. Education is not goods, it is a public service for that matter we are against the practice of engaging a private person to manage public schools and agree to pay the private person based on the learning outcomes, in that case, the motive will be profit and we are against that”
A total of 100 selected public schools in the Ashanti, Northern, Central and Greater Accra Regions are to be handed over to private school operators to manage.
According to the Coalition, a similar project has been implemented in other African countries including Liberia, Kenya and Uganda however these projects did not produce the intended outcome, rather whatever gains made were very marginal in comparison to the investments that were made by governments in these countries which are even higher than the regular investments they were making in public schools.
Kofi Asare on behalf of the coalition said government cannot afford to ignore this evidence and go ahead and invest in such a venture as this will have negative effects in the education system in the country.
By: Theresa Adezewa Ayittey|| Apt News
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