Former Member of Parliament for Kwesimintsim and former Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, Dr. Prince Hamid Armah, has urged the institutionalization of the National Education Forum as a permanent platform for shaping Ghana’s education policies.
In a statement, Dr. Armah congratulated the eight-member committee appointed by President John Mahama to plan the forum.
He highlighted the importance of sustaining the forum, which has been organized annually since 2018 as Education Week, to ensure policy continuity, inclusivity, and coherence beyond political transitions.
“The forum should not be a mere formality but should foster genuine inclusivity, evidence-based decision-making, and broad stakeholder buy-in to ensure lasting impact,” he stated.
Dr. Armah also cautioned against politically motivated decisions, referencing the 2009 reversal of the four-year senior high school duration despite inconclusive consultations.
He expressed hope that the upcoming forum would lead to meaningful, inclusive, and evidence-based reforms that strengthen Ghana’s education system.
Read the statement below:
I extend my warm congratulations to the distinguished members of the eight-member committee tasked by President Mahama with planning the National Education Forum. In particular, I commend Mr. Kofi Asare and Dr. Sam Awuku, whose extensive experience as advisors and consultants in the education sector under the immediate past NPP administration brings invaluable expertise to this crucial national dialogue.
Since 2018, the Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Education, introduced an annual National Education Forum, dubbed Education Week, to facilitate dialogue and decision-making for the sector. This initiative has provided a platform for policy deliberation, stakeholder engagement, and strategic direction in education. With the new administration now in office, it is my hope that the national education forum will not only be sustained but also institutionalized as a permanent platform for education policy agenda-setting, formulation, implementation, and evaluation. A well-structured and institutionalized forum will ensure continuity, inclusivity, and policy coherence, allowing for sustained gains in Ghana’s education sector beyond political transitions.
The upcoming forum, like its antecedent, presents an opportunity for intellectual engagement on Ghana’s education system, and I look forward to contributing constructively to the discussions. However, it is my hope that this platform will not follow the precedent set in 2009, when, despite inconclusive stakeholder consultations on whether to maintain the four-year SHS duration or revert to the original three-year system, the government proceeded with its manifesto promise to restore the three-year system.
A national forum of this nature should be more than a formality; it should foster genuine inclusivity, evidence-based decision-making, and broad stakeholder buy-in to ensure lasting impact. I anticipate an open and transparent dialogue that prioritizes the collective interests of Ghana’s education sector over pre-determined political commitments.
I hope this forum leads to meaningful, inclusive, and evidence-based reforms for Ghana’s education sector.
#ForGodAndCountry
#ForTheGoodOfGhana
READ ALSO: