On Thursday May 28, Eduwatch's Executive Director, Kofi Asare delivered a keynote address on “Financing the Future: Aligning TVET Financing with Equitable Access, Quality and Human Centred Skills in Ghana” at the International Conference on Education and Humanities. The conference was held at the University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (USTED) in Kumasi.

In his address, the following challenges were presented:
1. Ghana’s skills development system is not keeping pace with labour market demands.

2. Although the economy grew by 6 per cent in 2025, more than 1.3 million young people aged 15 to 35 remain classified as Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET). This indicates that economic growth is not sufficiently skills-rich, reflecting a mismatch between the skills demanded by the economy and those supplied by education and training systems.

3. At the same time, manufacturing, with its higher employment elasticity and value chain impact, and greater potential to generate decent jobs, is not expanding rapidly enough, while growth continues to be driven largely by services and extractive industries.

4. Technical and Vocational Education and Traning (TVET)’s share of second-cycle enrolment increased from 5 per cent in 2019 to 14 per cent in 2025, and proposals to introduce TVET programmes in Category 'A' Senior High Schools have generated significant stakeholder interest, which require broader national dialogue to build consensus and ensure successful implementation.

5. As Ghana’s premier TVET teacher-training university, USTED plays a critical role in preparing both educators and skilled professionals for industry. However, resource constraints are affecting programme quality and relevance.

6. For instance, USTED's Bachelor of Auto Mechanical Engineering programme currently lacks an Electric Vehicle (EV) component, despite EV technology representing the future of automotive engineering. As a result, both future TVET teachers and industry-bound graduates risk entering the labour market without exposure to emerging technologies.

7. In addition, USTED has established an incubation centre to support school-to-work transitions, particularly for learners pursuing entrepreneurial careers. Yet funding for its operationalisation, incubation support, mentorship, and start-up assistance has delayed the launch of a facility that could significantly reduce graduate unemployment and promote enterprise creation.

8. Limited staffing has also contributed to large class sizes.

To address the aforementioned challenges, the following recommemdations were proffered:
1. Ghana must reform its TVET financing and costing framework to improve quality, relevance, and investment in delivery. Financing should be linked to quality outcomes, support modern training infrastructure, strengthen instructor capacity, and foster stronger partnerships between training institutions and industry.

2. With Competency Based Training (CBT) being most effective in classes of fewer than 25 learners, achieving desired quality outcomes requires additional instructors, workshops, laboratories, and teaching facilities.

3. The University (USTED) should reform its Work Based Experiential Learning (WEL) system by introducing a rotational component that would allow learners to undertake WEL not only in their elective occupational areas, but also in socio-humanities and business development fields such as marketing and entrepreneurship. This would produce more versatile graduates with both technical and entrepreneurial competencies.

4. Government must prioritise funding for the operationalisation of USTED's incubation centre. For an institution preparing more than 10,000 learners annually for the labour market, such an investment is not optional; it is essential to Ghana’s future competitiveness and employment agenda.

© Africa Education Watch

On Wednesday June 3, with support from Oxfam, Eduwatch convened a roundtable of policymakers, educators, researchers, development partners, and local government actors at the University of Ghana to launch our 2025 Education Policy Monitoring Report.

Eduwatch's Executive Director presented the following key findings and recommendations from the monitoring report:
1. The current allocation of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) does not adequately reflect educational deprivation. While government’s directive requiring District Assemblies to allocate 20 per cent of DACF transfers to basic education infrastructure is commendable, districts with some of the highest infrastructure deficits continue to receive relatively low allocations, while better resourced districts receive higher amounts.

2. Deprived districts such as Zabzugu, Nabdam, Bongo and Tatale, which record high infrastructure and furniture deficits, received an average of about GHC 2 million by December 2025. In contrast, Adentan, La Nkwantanang Madina, Ledzokuku and Ga East, with relatively lower deficits, received an average of about GHC 4 million over the same period. Eduwatch cautioned that this allocation pattern risks widening infrastructure inequality instead of bridging it.

3. Eduwatch called on government to revise the DACF allocation formula to include education deprivation indicators such as classroom deficits, furniture shortages and school infrastructure gaps. A needs-based allocation mechanism will ensure that districts with the greatest deficits receive proportionately higher support, while expediting furniture procurement for basic and secondary schools.

4. The monitoring report also identified poor ventilation and inadequate illumination in some newly constructed basic schools, and recommends strict enforcement of the Ministry of Education’s standardised and inclusive school infrastructure designs by Assemblies, working closely with District Education Offices to strengthen technical oversight.

5. On skills development, the report highlighted the continued underfunding of pre tertiary TVET. Despite its importance to industrialisation and youth employment, pre-tertiary TVET received only 2.5% of the main education budget in 2025. Eduwatch called for a gradual increase to at least 6%, supported by investments in workshops, equipment, teacher recruitment and Workplace Experience Learning.

6. While acknowledging progress in education financing and service delivery, Eduwatch urged the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, Parliament, the DACF Administrator and all District Assemblies to prioritise equity, efficiency and accountability in education financing so that public resources reach the schools and learners with the greatest need.

7. Eduwatch also called for a review of the DACF allocation formula to incorporate education infrastructure deprivation indicators, since equity demands that districts with the greatest needs receive proportionately greater support.

Participants included representatives from the Office of the Head of Local Government Service, the DACF Secretariat, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, School Feeding Secretariat, the Headquarters, Adentan, Ga West, Ledzokuku, Nkwanta South Bongo and Tatale Sanguli District Offices of the Ghana Education Service, UNESCO Ghana, GNECC, CAPCOE, ActionAid Ghana, Associates For Change and School for Life.

Eduwatch's statement on the Convening and Launch of the report is accessible via the link below:
https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/eduwatch-launches-2025-education-policy-monitoring-report

The full report is also available via the link below:
https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/2025-annual-education-policy-monitoring-brief

© Africa Education Watch

Education policy think tank, Eduwatch, has called on the government to urgently reform the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) allocation formula to ensure that deprived districts with the greatest educational infrastructure needs receive a fairer share of resources.

The organisation said although the government’s directive requiring metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to allocate 20 per cent of DACF transfers to basic education infrastructure was commendable, the current distribution pattern was worsening inequalities between deprived and endowed districts.

Launching its 2025 Education Policy Monitoring Report at the University of Ghana yesterday, the Executive Director of Eduwatch, Kofi Asare, said districts with severe classroom and furniture deficits continued to receive significantly lower allocations than relatively better-resourced districts.

He explained that the situation undermined the government’s efforts to promote equitable access to quality education and risked widening existing infrastructure gaps across the country.

The report, which monitored the implementation of 12 key education policies across 10 districts, also highlighted concerns about inadequate financing for technical vocational education and training (TVET), textbook shortages, teacher distribution challenges and the future sustainability of access under the free senior high school (Free SHS) programme.

Allocation
According to the report, districts such as Zabzugu, Nabdam, Bongo and Tatale, which recorded some of the highest infrastructure deficits, received an average of about GH¢2 million each from DACF allocations by December 2025.

In contrast, relatively endowed districts, including Adentan, La Nkwantanang-Madina, Ledzokuku and Ga East, received average allocations of about GH¢4 million over the same period despite having lower infrastructure deficits.

Mr Asare said the findings suggested that the current DACF formula did not sufficiently account for educational deprivation and infrastructure needs.

He, therefore, urged the government to revise the formula by incorporating indicators such as classroom shortages, furniture deficits and school infrastructure gaps to ensure that resources were directed to areas with the greatest need.

Progress
Despite the challenges, the report acknowledged notable improvements in education service delivery during the year under review.

Among the key achievements were the timely disbursement of capitation grants, expansion of the Ghana School Feeding Programme, ongoing construction of new and inherited basic school infrastructure projects and the rollout of the Free Sanitary Pads Programme.

The report revealed that the improved predictability of capitation grant releases had enhanced school management and planning, while the school feeding programme had recorded gains in food quality and coverage.

It further indicated that the distribution of free sanitary pads had contributed to improved school attendance among girls, although disparities in distribution and quality remained concerns requiring attention.

The report expressed concern over delays in the procurement and distribution of textbooks and school furniture.

Although allocations had been made for textbook procurement, Eduwatch observed that many schools continued to face severe shortages, with overall textbook availability in the sampled districts remaining below 50 per cent of requirements under the new curriculum.

Source: graphic.com.gh

On Monday June 8, the Steering Committee of the Citizens Platform on Constitutional Reforms (CPCR) convened a meeting to discuss implementation progress of the report and reforms submitted to Government by the Constitutional Review Commission in January 2026. The meeting also sought to call on the Government to formally lay out a roadmap with clear timelines for the review of the 1992 Constitution.

With key procedural steps still ahead and time steadily advancing, the Platform is urging Government to provide clarity on the implementation pathway and ensure sustained citizen participation in the reform process.

The platform's leadership resolved at the meeting, to formally request meetings with His Excellency the President, the Right Honorable Speaker of Parliament, the leadership of the Majority and Minority Caucuses in Parliament, the Chairman of the Council of State, and the leadership of political parties, to engage on the next phase of the reform process, including the implementation mechanism, legislative and referendum timelines, public consultation, civic education, and sustained citizen participation.

The Platform is convened by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, STAR-Ghana Foundation and the Democracy Hub. Eduwatch serves on the CPCR Steering Committee as the representative on educational rights.

As an outcome of the meeting, the Platform issued a statement on Friday June 13, and is accessible via the link below:
https://bit.ly/4ef50NP

© Africa Education Watch

The Steering Committee of the Citizens’ Platform on Constitutional Reform has called on President John Mahama and the Government to formally present a clear roadmap with defined timelines for the review of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution. The appeal was made during the Platform’s meeting on Monday, June 8, 2026.

In a statement issued on Friday, June 12, the Platform announced its intention to formally request consultations with key national stakeholders, including the President, the Right Honourable Speaker of Parliament, the leadership of both Majority and Minority caucuses, the Chairman of the Council of State, and the leadership of political parties.

The discussions are intended to cover the next phase of the reform process, including the establishment of an implementation mechanism, legislative and referendum timelines, public consultation, civic education, and sustained citizen participation.

The call comes more than four months after the Constitution Review Committee (CRC), chaired by Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, submitted its full report to the President on 26 January 2026.

The Committee’s work followed extensive nationwide consultations in which Ghanaians from all regions and walks of life participated. While the publication of a summary of the report received broad approval across the political spectrum, the full report has yet to be released to the public.

The Government subsequently announced that the President would chair a special Cabinet meeting to consider a draft position paper prepared by the Attorney General and the President’s legal team, intended to finalise the Government’s position on the CRC proposals.

Media reports have suggested that the Government has approved and plans to table amendment bills before Parliament on certain recommendations, including the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.

However, the Platform emphasises that a comprehensive implementation roadmap, clarifying mechanisms, timelines, sequencing, and institutional responsibilities, is still missing.

The Platform expressed concern that delays could jeopardise the window for completing constitutional reform before the next election cycle dominates the national agenda. “The constitutional amendment process is procedurally demanding,” the statement noted.

Both entrenched and non-entrenched amendments must be published in the Gazette for at least six months prior to introduction in Parliament.

Entrenched provisions further require review by the Council of State and approval through a referendum, while non-entrenched provisions require Council of State review and parliamentary supermajority approval.

According to the Platform, the demands of the electoral calendar and the logistical requirements of a credible referendum mean that preparatory work must accelerate immediately.

The Citizens’ Platform described the constitutional review process as both timely and necessary to reset democratic governance, strengthen the economy, and reform society.

The Platform expressed full support for proposals aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the three arms of government, reducing hyper-partisanship, ensuring accountability, reorganising anti-corruption institutions, empowering political parties, and strengthening citizen participation.

The Platform issued an urgent call for the publication of the full CRC report, a formalised roadmap with clear milestones, the inauguration of the implementation mechanism, transparent communication of the Government’s position, and the establishment of legislative and referendum schedules in accordance with Articles 289 to 291 of the Constitution.

Additionally, it invited political parties to consider a cross-party compact committing them to agreed timelines, constructive engagement on amendment bills, and a code of conduct for referendum campaigns that prioritises national interest over electoral advantage.

The statement reaffirmed the Platform’s readiness to support the State in civic education, public engagement, and technical aspects of the reform process, while urging the media, faith-based organisations, academic institutions, professional bodies, traditional authorities, women, youth, and all citizens to remain engaged and vigilant.

“The Constitution belongs to the people of Ghana, and its renewal must be completed in their name and within their sight,” the Platform emphasised.

About the Citizens’ Platform on Constitutional Reform
The Citizens’ Platform on Constitutional Reform is a coalition of more than ninety civil society organizations, trade unions and professional bodies, which coordinates engagement, advocacy, and accountability in Ghana’s ongoing constitutional reform process. The Coalition is convened by CDD-Ghana, STAR-Ghana Foundation, and Democracy Hub.

Steering Committee
1. CDD-Ghana
2. STAR-Ghana Foundation
3. Democracy Hub
4. NETRIGHT
5. ACEPA
6. PNAFRICA
7. Africa Education Watch
8. GJA
9. NORSAAC
10. MFWA
11. Friends of the Nation
12. A Rocha
13. IDEG
14. NUGS
15. Youth Advocates Ghana
16. TUC
17. PEF
18. WANEP

Source: myjoyonline.com

On Thursday, June 11, Eduwatch convened a stakeholder dialogue to discuss the alleged use of physical violence by a teacher at Nyinahin Catholic Senior High School (SHS), to enforce discipline on a female student. The crunch meeting followed reports that the Toase District Court had urged the parties to reconcile and settle the matter out of court.

Eduwatch, on Wednesday June 10 issued a statement calling for independent investigations into the incident, with findings made public. The statement is accessible on its website via https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/statement-on-alleged-assault-of-student-at-nyinahin-catholic-shs.

Stakehokders at the meeting believed that the allegation raises serious concerns about the use of physical violence to exact discipline in schools, when established school rules, the Ghana Education Service (GES) Code of Conduct and the Positive Discipline Policy provide clear frameworks for addressing learner misconduct. The allegation, according to stakeholders also raises serious concerns about professional conduct and public confidence in the teaching profession.

While acknowledging and commending ongoing investigations, the Stakeholder Group called on the GES and the National Teaching Council (NTC) to among others, expedite the ongoing investigation into the incident, ensure that it is transparent and fair, and the findings made available to all stakeholders. The dialogue also led to a call for determination of professional misconduct by the NTC through a full professional inquiry into the alleged conduct of the teacher, and whether it constitutes a breach of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020, the National Teachers’ Standards, and any applicable professional or safeguarding obligations.

Stakeholders posited that the Nyinahin Catholic SHS incident presents an opportunity for the GES to address both the immediate accountability questions arising from the incident and the broader concerns regarding school discipline and safeguarding that it reflects. In addition, nearly eight (8) years after the introduction of the Positive Discipline Policy, it is timely to assess whether existing disciplinary frameworks are achieving their intended objectives and to identify any necessary reforms to strengthen safe and orderly learning environments.

As part of next steps, the Stakeholder group agreed to submit separate petitions to the GES Director General and the NTC Registrar on Monday June 15, in the interest of protecting learners, upholding professional standards and preserving the integrity of the teaching profession.

Participants included representatives from the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition, Norsaac, FOSDA, WiLDAF, the Ghana Youth Manifesto Coalition and the Northern Regional Youth Network.

© Africa Education Watch