Tertiary Education Bill, 2019 has been taken through the second in Parliament at the 25th sitting of the 3rd meeting of The House on Tuesday, 15th December 20202
The general objective of The Bill is to provide for a pre-tertiary educational system to produce individuals with the requisite knowledge, skills and values to become functional and productive citizens for national development, to also establish a Technical and Vocational Education and Training Service and to provide for related matters.
The Bill, when passed will ensure that every Ghanaian child obtains a minimum of secondary education, will go a long way to enhance the human resource capacity of the nation.
The establishment of a dedicated Technical and Vocational Education and Training Service as contained in The Bill is to oversee and manage Technical and Vocational Education, together with other measures proposed in the Bill, stand to make Ghana’s pre-tertiary education system more inclusive, focused and efficient for the benefit of all.
The Bill is made up of two (2) Parts and a Schedule:
Part 1 of the Bill (Clauses 1 to 54) provides for a system of Pre-Tertiary Education which is made up of eleven (11) years of basic education and three (3) years of secondary education in either a Senior High School or a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution.
It also provides for the establishment of the Education Service as a body corporate and deals with various issues relating to the system of Pre-Tertiary Education and the Education Service.
Part 2 of the Bill (Clauses 55 to 95) establishes the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Service as a body corporate.
It also covers all matters relating to the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Service.
The Schedule provides for the list of Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions currently under the Ministries, Departments and Agencies which are to be absorbed into the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Service.
Clause 6 of the Bill establishes the Education Service as a body corporate with the object of providing coordination and harmonization for the effective and efficient delivery of basic and senior high education in the country.
The Education Service, as established under the Bill, shall among others, be responsible for:
i. Co-ordinating standards and direction for the effective and efficient implementation of approved national policies and programmes in respect of basic and senior high education.
ii. Monitoring of all funds allocated for the delivery of effective and efficient basic and senior high education.
iii. Advising the Minister responsible for Education on financial, human resource, policy, infrastructure, logistics and other relevant matters relating to education.
iv. Exercising jurisdiction in matters of discipline over personnel at the District and Regional Education Directorate.
BACKGROUND
Pre-tertiary education is deemed a critical phase in education delivery since it marks the foundation for the preparation of students to enter the tertiary education stream for further academic pursuits. Given the importance of pre-tertiary education, there is the need to ensure quality education delivery at this stage as any deficits could seriously affect the performance and ability of students to progress to the tertiary level of education.
It is for this reason that part of the educational reforms introduced by the government is aimed at ensuring effective management and supervision of pre-tertiary schools. The reform has a further objective of re-organising Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) into a distinctive unit under a designated Service to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of TVET service. It is against this background that the Pre-Tertiary Education Bill, 2019 has been introduced in Parliament by the government.
Story filed by Edzorna Francis Mensah
