By: Rukayatu Musah & Rachel Quartey
Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has officially closed the National Education Forum on Education, held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). The forum, which started on February 18, 2025, brought together stakeholders to build consensus on critical reforms needed to transform Ghana’s education system.
Describing the forum as a significant milestone in the government’s 120-day social contract with Ghanaians, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang emphasized the need to address key challenges in access, quality, and equity in the education sector. She acknowledged that the current education system is imbalanced and stressed that quality education is essential for national development.
“We believe that no aspect of our nation’s development can be strategically pursued without reference to quality issues in the chain of education levels: basic, secondary and tertiary levels of which secondary education (in our context senior high school education) provides the transitional bridge between basic education and tertiary education,” she explained.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang commended the Committee, chaired by Prof. George K.T. Oduro, for their dedication and tireless efforts in engaging stakeholders and education experts. She praised their use of diverse data collection methods and collaboration with stakeholders, resulting in rich, evidence-based policy recommendations.
“We await the full report of your findings and recommendations to guide the development of transformative policies that will improve the delivery of quality education and accelerate human capital development,” she stated.
The Vice President assured Ghanaians that the recommendations from the forum will serve as the foundation for reshaping the country’s educational policies. She further said the government will implement these recommendations to build an inclusive and transformative education system.
“With collective effort and dedication, we will reset Ghana’s education system to produce the quality human capital needed for national development,” Prof. Opoku-Agyemang concluded.
Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu emphasized the forum’s goal of sustaining the future of education. He stressed the need to fix education and prepare students for the 21st century.
” It is our responsibility to fix education and fix it to meet our national aspirations and prepare our students and children for the competences of the 21st century,” he said.
Dr. Albert Nsengiumva, Executive Secretary of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), urged African countries to develop home-grown policies to support the educational sector and address the unique challenges facing the continent. He also advocated for use of technology to improve learning outcomes.
The National Education Forum was established by President John Dramani Mahama to provide a platform for stakeholders to address key issues in infrastructure, quality education, governance, financing, and research. The forum’s outcomes are expected to shape Ghana’s education policies for a sustainable future.
