The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Kofi Asare, has endorsed the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s pledge to uncap the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), stating it as a necessary step to unlock substantial funding for educational infrastructure.
In a presentation on Joy News’ PM Express, Kofi Asare, Mr. Asare stated that without uncapping, Ghana’s educational infrastructure needs will remain unmet due to insufficient funding, even with the best planning in place.
He highlighted that GETFund’s current financial constraints limit its ability to deliver transformative change in the educational sector.
“Uncapping GETFund will free about ¢25 billion more over the next four years,” he stated.
Mr Asare noted that while the capped fund would yield around ¢25 billion, uncapping it could double this figure to an estimated ¢50 billion.
He pointed out that the additional resources could allow for extensive infrastructure development, especially in under-resourced areas where students often learn under trees.
“I see the focus on uncapping GETFund as a much more realistic way to impact infrastructure,” he stressed, describing the current infrastructure problem in education as “primarily a financial issue.”
While the NPP has proposed harmonizing various infrastructural databases to streamline project planning and implementation, Mr. Asare maintained that any infrastructural initiative would have limited impact without substantial funds.
“The NPP talks about harmonizing the database and creating a department at the Ministry of Education to plan and implement infrastructure projects, but harmonization alone won’t address the core problem of resource limitations,” Mr. Asare stated.
In contrast, the NDC has committed to tackling the infrastructure issue by removing the cap on GETFund if they come into power.
According to Mr Asare, this approach would open up funds critical to addressing core infrastructural issues in schools, including the elimination of schools under trees and the establishment of modern school buildings in underserved communities.
He concluded with a direct appeal to Ghana’s political leaders, urging them to prioritize uncapping GETFund to foster meaningful educational reform.
“The fundamental issue about infrastructure is resource-constrained,” he insisted, advocating for uncapping as the solution that could “truly address Ghana’s educational infrastructure needs.”
Source: Abubakar Ibrahim
