Transforming Education Summit National Consultations

It is a privilege to participate on behalf of the UN Country Team in Ghana and Development Partners at this national consultation on education in preparation for the Pre-Summit on Transforming Education, to be held in Paris on 28-29 June 2022.

Today’s consultation is timely, as we also celebrate the Day of the African Child, and all appreciated the importance of children’s right to education.  

Distinguished guests, the COVID-19 pandemic and the containment measures disrupted many essential services, and in Ghana, it exacerbated challenges in the education sector. This pandemic set many countries off track to achieving SDG4, which states that by 2030, all girls and boys can complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.

This is why the United Nations Secretary General, Mr António Guterres, is convening the ‘Transforming Education Summit’ (TES) in September - to provide a platform to mobilize action, solutions and solidarity, to achieve the education-related Sustainable Development Goals, and to reimagine education to be fit for the future, between now and 2030.

Distinguished guests, the catalytic effect of achieving SDG 4 cannot be overstated. Education is central to the achievement of all the other 16 global goals. If we get education right, we can address the vast bulk of challenges that our world is facing: poverty, disenfranchisement of youth, gender inequality and climate change, to name a few.

That is why, building on our past experiences, and considering the current realities, we need to transform education. Schools and teachers are essential. Schools need to be transformed to enable the holistic development of children and youth. Today’s schoolgirls and boys should be equipped with transferable, 21st century skills which are needed to have an equitable chance of success as they transition from school to livelihoods.

Schools should be an environment where good mental and physical health for students and their families is fostered; where climate change can be addressed in an informed and sustainable way, and where students can actively engage in positive citizenry.

Preparation for the September Summit includes three main workstreams: 1) National Consultations; 2) Thematic Action Tracks; and 3) Public engagement and mobilization. Today we move forward with workstream 1, with this national consultation.

This provides us with an opportunity:

• to look at the overall progress in the education sector;
• to identify areas where accelerated progress is needed to achieve the 2030 target;
• To agree on the transformative interventions that can bring positive change in Ghana’s education sector with regard to SDG 4 targets; and
• to re-align the efforts of all stakeholders around a common, focused goal.

The conference also presents an opportunity to harness leadership and energy and generate further momentum to strengthen Ghana’s learning ecosystem.

The Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ghana Education Service (GES) have made notable progress since the 1990 Jomtien Declaration around Education For All.

Across Ghana, gross enrolment in basic education has increased significantly (from 75% to 111% at Kindergarten; 86% to 98% at Primary; and from 70% to 83% at Junior High School levels between 2005 and 2021); gender parity has been achieved and sustained at primary and lower secondary levels, and the Government has been implementing interventions to promote gender equality and inclusive education.

The introduction of a competency-based curriculum has emphasized critical thinking skills; reforms have resulted in stronger planning at various levels and resiliency planning for Education in Emergency; and there are now stronger efforts to promote STEM, TVET, and climate change.

We have seen the free Senior High School (SHS) policy producing significant increases in SHS enrolment (from 25% in 2005 to 63% in 2021); and there has been a progression of technology-based digital solutions in the sector. This was highlighted during the recent successful National Digital and Distance Learning Conference hosted by the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schools (or CENDLOS), with support from UNESCO and UNICEF.

We discussed the advancements made in Ghana to Reimagine Education, including in areas to connect all schools to internet through the GIGA initiative, the use of digital platforms for teacher training, and the current deployment of the Learning Passport platform.

Earlier this month, Emmanuella who attends the Dzorwulu Special Needs School spoke of the impact of technology in schools –specifically, the use of tablets. It has increased the motivation of students to learn.  She told UNICEF: "I dream of becoming a bank manager someday and I'm working hard to make this possible. My school has brought in tablets that we use in the classroom which makes me very happy. Technology connected everybody now, and I'm glad we're not left out.'

But we are all aware that more needs to be done to ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes by 2030. While celebrating our achievements, let us attempt to prioritize the issues in the education sector that will help Ghana achieve the education-related SDG targets: issues such as inequity, poor learning outcomes and the education financing gap. We count on you to help identify priorities during this consultation  meeting.

The UN Country Team in Ghana has prepared a joint Position Paper to support today’s discussions. Some of the priorities for your kind consideration include:

• Improving access to Junior High School (JHS) for primary school leavers (25% of primary schools do not have attached JHS, which makes it difficult for pupils to continue their education);
• Addressing the persistent issues that negatively affect girls’ education (e.g. gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy);
• Improving the quality of teacher preparation, deployment, and management (implementing the existing Comprehensive National Teacher Policy);
• Strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy skills for school readiness and improved learning outcomes, and innovation;
• Enhancing relevant skills development in pre-tertiary education with a focus on both in-school and out-of-school children and adolescents (incl. digital and entrepreneurship skills);
• Education financing: during the 2021 Global Education Summit, H.E. the President of the Republic of Ghana pledged to spend 23% of the national budget on education; we look forward to relevant spending in the education sector.

We look forward to the results of today’s consultation and reiterate our UNCT commitment to support the Government efforts to promote transformative change.  Let’s all leverage the advances already made to introduce new measures that will increase Ghana’s ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) by 2030 in an inclusive manner, Leaving No One Behind. Thank you.