Former Education Ministers ready to share experiences for national devt

Eight former Education Ministers have expressed their preparedness to share experiences of the sector and also make proposals for the betterment of education for national development.

They said sharing their diverse experiences and expertise could go a long way to help shape policies and programmes for the sector to ensure best practices.

They made the call at a meeting with the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, which was at his request in Accra last Monday.

Present were Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrissu, Prof. Dominic Fobih, Mr Ekow Spio-Garbrah, Ms Joyce Aryee, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw Ekumfi, Papa Owusu Ankomah and Dr Mrs Christiana Amoako Nuamah, who joined the discussion via Zoom.

Apart from the fact that it was the first time a sitting minister in the country had brought almost all former sector ministers together, the occasion also created an opportunity for them to interact and share ideas on how to support the growth of the nation’s education.

The former ministers commended Dr Adutwum for creating such an opportunity for them to come together to discuss issues relating to the proper development of education in the country.

Concerns

Among issues raised by the former ministers were indiscipline on the part of teachers as well as the need for improvement in supervision to ensure that teachers stayed in school to teach.

They also expressed concerns about the lack of interest on the part of parents regarding the education of their children, leading to some of them becoming wayward.

Dr Adutwum commended them for the various roles they played in the past towards the development of education in the country.

He assured them of his readiness to engage them regularly to share more ideas, including some of the laudable programmes they could not implement during their tenure of office.

The minister further emphasised the need to deepen ties between the ministry and the former ministers.

Transformation

Ms Joyce Aryee, the oldest former Education Minister among them, pledged the commitment of the former ministers and their contribution towards the transformation of education for economic growth.

She called for more of such engagements to share experiences, including proposing ideas for effective management of the educational system.