Mahama expresses concerns over educational sector debts

President-elect John Dramani Mahama has expressed deep concern over the financial challenges plaguing Ghana’s education sector.

Speaking during an engagement with key stakeholders in the education sector, Mahama emphasized that the entire system is grappling with severe financial constraints due to the lack of consistent and dedicated funding mechanisms.

He revealed that approximately 1.3 million children at the basic level lack essential furniture for learning.

“We have a crisis at the basic level. Even though significant funds are allocated to the secondary level, they are not derived from a dedicated source, leading to waste and inefficiency in spending on the Free SHS program,” he stated.

Mahama also highlighted funding struggles of tertiary institutions, attributing the challenges to the collateralization of the GETFund.

“Sixty percent of the GETFund has been spent in advance, leaving only 40 percent to address infrastructure needs across the educational value chain,” he explained.

To address these issues, Mahama proposed a National Education Review Conference to identify bottlenecks and develop a sustainable funding model for both immediate and long-term solutions.

“We need a consultative forum involving all relevant stakeholders to tackle these challenges comprehensively and ensure the future of education in Ghana is secure,” he added.