By Issah Mohammed,
Accra, Dec 12, GNA – The CSOs Budget Forum, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSO) has called on the government to review the decision to allocate GH₵222 million for the feeding of students in nursing and teacher training colleges.
According to the coalition, the policy of providing allowances to some trainees in specific educational institutions has outlived its usefulness and is “wasteful,” especially given that the government does not have the luxury of making such financial commitments.
“More so, when the ministry of education has imposed 40 per cent admission quotas on colleges of education. The only reason why quotas have been imposed was because the government cannot pay their allowances. So, we are back to 2015,” said Mr. Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch.
He argued that the quota system was discriminatory because it deprived citizens of the opportunity to have access to education, acquire skills, and find work.
Mr. Asare was speaking at a post-budget review on the issue of Social Spending, which included health and education, agriculture, and governance and anti-corruption.
The initiative aimed to review the 2024 budget against CSO inputs, identify pro-poor and pro-growth government proposals, and highlight gaps that must be addressed in Ghana’s best interests.
Speaking on the 2024 budgetary allocations on the education sector, Mr Asare underscored the need for the urgent review of the Free Senior High School Policy of government, which, he said, had become inimical to the development of basic education in the country.
“We cannot make significant impact in financing basic education if free SHS consumes about 95 per cent of the goods and service amount in the pre -tertiary sector.
“The amount spent on free SHS in a year can be used to eradicate schools under trees in the entire country within two years,” he said.
Mr. Asare called for swift disbursement of funds to the basic education sector and the removal of the cap on the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND).
Mr Bismark Owusu Nortey, Head of Programmes at the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), has urged the government to ensure that the waiver of import duties on agricultural machinery, equipment, and inputs results in lower production costs for farmers and decreases in consumer prices.
“The ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority should create a tracking mechanism to ensure importers who enjoy these waivers reduce their prices,” he said.
Mr. Solomon Yankah, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, also requested that the government allocate funds and create mechanisms to protect whistleblowers, as well as make provisions to accelerate e-justice initiatives to reduce physical interactions with judges.
GNA