President Mahama calls for rebalancing education sector towards basic schools
President John Dramani Mahama has called for a major shift in Ghana’s education priorities, stressing the need to redirect greater attention and investment towards basic education to strengthen foundational learning among children.
According to the President, Ghana’s educational system has over the years focused heavily on secondary education, while the critical foundation at the basic level has not received the needed attention.
Speaking during a demonstration of the national BSTEM programme at Sawla E/A Primary School in the Savannah Region as part of his “Resetting Ghana Tour,” President Mahama said strong foundational education remains essential to improving learning outcomes and preparing children for higher levels of education.
“We’re also rebalancing our educational sector to remove the over concentration on secondary education and rebalance it towards basic education,” he stated.
He explained that basic education plays a crucial role in shaping the future academic performance of children, noting that pupils who acquire strong literacy, numeracy and critical thinking skills early are more likely to excel in later stages of learning.
President Mahama compared foundational education to the construction of a building, saying no structure can stand firmly without a solid foundation.
“It’s like the foundation of a house. If you don’t build the foundation properly, you can use gold and diamonds to build the substructure, but if the foundation is not good, the house will not stand,” he said.
The President stressed the importance of ensuring children at the basic level are able to read, write and perform simple arithmetic effectively, while also developing problem-solving and analytical skills.
“We must catch the children at the basic level, build their foundation for being able to do simple arithmetic, which we call numeracy, being able to read and write, which we call literacy, and then also critical thinking,” he noted.
He said government’s renewed focus on foundational learning is aimed at ensuring children are properly equipped academically from an early age to succeed throughout their educational journey.
President Mahama added that strengthening basic education would ultimately improve the overall quality of education and contribute significantly to national development.
