Bolgatanga-Ghana, Oct 17, GNA – Mr Mark Dankyira Korankye, the General Secretary of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has cautioned the government against privatization of the educational sector.
He said it would be dangerous to allow the private sector to solely handle the country’s education and called on the government to expand schools to every nook and cranny of the country for easy accessibility.
“We wish to state that in our effort to attain equitable education delivery, we cannot sacrifice our education system under the simple excuse that government cannot do it all,” he said.
Mr Korankye was speaking on the theme: “Fostering partnership for equitable education delivery; role of TEWU” at the Upper East Regional 13th Quadrennial Delegates Conference in Bolgatanga.
Even though the General Secretary acknowledged that it was good to partner with the private sector, he emphasized that “We cannot leave it entirely in the hands of the private people.
“The private man will come with a profit motive, and it, therefore, becomes difficult for the poor child to attain education where education is provided by the private sector,” the Union’s Secretary added.
Mr Korankye noted that “The Union is not against any form of public private partnership, but we are against the privatization and commercialization of education in our country Ghana.
“We cannot sacrifice our education which we always tout that it is the bedrock of our development in the hands of the private sector. That will cut off the poor in our society.
“We wish to state that government should take full responsibility of ensuring that every Ghanaian child has access to good quality public educational institution, so that our country can develop as we wish it to be,” he said.
Mr Bright A. Lawoe, the Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), noted that without the TEWU, education in the country could not be run effectively.
He said TEWU had always been the driving force for progress and urged leadership of the Union to reposition it to demand what was just, needful, and appropriate to be able to discharge its duties.
Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Regional Minister, in a speech read on his behalf, said the theme of the conference resonated with government’s Free Senior High School policy at a time government was assessing and addressing the implementation challenges.
He said the theme was also in tandem with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal two, which sought to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
“It is therefore not only appropriate but instructive that as partners in education, we collectively take a look at our roles in enhancing equitable quality education delivery of this country,” he said.
Mr Yakubu reminded members and leadership of the TEWU that education was a shared responsibility, and the role of educational Unions in the likes of the TEWU, in the promotion of equitable education delivery was extremely critical.
He said the priority of any functional society must be the education of its children, and called on parents, traditional authorities, religious leaders, and Civil Society Organizations to play their roles to attain the desired equitable quality education.
