By Iddi Yire
Accra, Oct. 5, GNA – A study conducted by Africa Education Watch (EDUWATCH), an education policy research and advocacy organisation, has urged Government to ensure speedy releases of funds for the completion of ongoing projects within the educational sector.
The study findings urged the Ministry of Finance to uncap the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) to free resources for completing stalled GETFund projects in basic and senior high schools.
Mr Divine Kpe, Senior Programme Officer, Africa Education Watch, presenting findings of the study at a dissemination workshop in Accra, said the Ministry of Finance must speed up the operationalisation of the exemptions law to ensure timely execution of concerned projects.
He mentioned that the new tax reforms include the Earmarked Fund Capping and Realignment 2017, (Act 947), the Exemption Law, Centralised digital property tax system, the Value Added Tax, and Electronic transfer levy (E-levy).
He noted that, however, the capping of earmarked funds that support education infrastructure, especially GETFund Levy/GETFund and DACF had negatively affected the construction of schools and the supply of furniture.
The study dubbed “Tax Reforms, Education Financing and Equitable Access to Public Education: Roles of Citizens, Local and Central Government”, was conducted by Africa Education Watch with support from ActionAid Ghana.
The study areas include AdMA and Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) both in the Greater Accra Ghana.
The objectives of the study was to examine the existing tax architecture for education financing and to analyse the implications of existing tax reforms on education financing and service delivery.
It also seeks to assess the existing mechanisms for citizens’ accountability on education financing and its effectiveness and to make recommendations for increased domestic resource mobilization, improved equitable access and accountability in education.
Mr Kpe appealed to the Ministry of Finance to allocate the constitutionally approved share of the
Consolidated Fund to the DACF while disbursing timely.
He said the Ministry of Finance must disburse all Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) arrears on the DACF to enable the financing of relevant socio-economic interventions.
He suggested thst Parliament must strengthen its oversight on the Ministry of Finance in the allocation and
disbursement of the DACF and the GETFund.
Mr Kpe also suggested to the Ministry of Education to allocate at least 20 per cent of GETFund to basic school infrastructure in 2024.
On her part, Madam Dorothy Konadu, Board Member, EDUWATCH, said Eduwatch, with support from its Development Partners, had for the last three years, through different approaches, been instrumental in leading the advocacy to ensure Ghana had the political will that translates the international commitments into budget action.
She noted that one of the key approaches the organization had employed over the years was influencing education policy dialogue on education financing using research.
GNA