Mr. Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, Member of Parliament for Lower Manya Krobo Constituency, has raised concerns about the apparent reversal of Ghana’s decentralization policy, as key sectors like health and education are now being re-centralized.
According to him, the recent actions by the government are threatening the significant progress made under the country’s decentralization agenda launched in1993.
Specifically, he expressed worry that re-centralization of activities of key sectors such as health and education in recent times was reversing the gains made through decentralization agenda over the years.
Mr. Terlabi was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the launch of the Lower Manya Krobo Ghana Education Service teacher prize award programme at Zimmerman Presby congregation, Odumase-Krobo.
He said the government had taken control of budget planning for several decentralised sectors such as education and health, effectively stifling local planning initiatives at the district and community levels.
He noted that the re-centralization had led to several challenges such as delayed release of capitation grants to schools, making it difficult for basic school teachers becoming “beggars” and to perform their duties effectively.
“Teachers have become beggars because their budget, such as capitation grants always delay and are always in arrears, and because of that, they [basic schools] appear not to be functioning properly,” he said.
He urged the government to prioritize timely payment of capitation grant and other incentives to schools and teachers, so that they could focus on their work without distractions.
Mr. Terlabi also stated that while teachers were often criticized, they were rarely recognised or celebrated for their efforts, and added that, the situation needed to be addressed by the Ministry of Education and the parliamentary committee on education.
The MP further highlighted the importance of good-quality education, which he said could be achieved through the motivation of teachers.
He again called on the government to revamp the education sector through decentralization, allowing teachers to have more autonomy and control over their work.
Mr. Terlabi noted that when Former President John Dramani Mahama advocated a review of the current education system, many people misinterpreted it as a call to simply mobilise students into classrooms.
However, he said that the true focus of that message was about empowering teachers across aboard, providing them with the necessary teaching and learning resources and support to excel in their profession.
