Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, has raised a thought-provoking question about the history of education reforms in Ghana, particularly during the Fourth Republic.
In a post shared on his social media platforms, Asare asked why major education reforms in Ghana’s modern history were initiated under governments of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Asare pointed out that three major education reforms in the past four decades were spearheaded by NPP governments, noting that this is not a personal opinion but a historical fact. He listed the following key reforms:
- Rawlings’ 1987 Reforms
- Kufuor’s 2007 Reforms
- Nana Addo’s 2018 Reforms
Asare elaborated on the significance of each of these reforms, particularly focusing on the legal and institutional frameworks that continue to shape the country’s education system today. He explained that the 2007 reforms, introduced under President Kufuor, were instrumental in the establishment of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) and laid the foundation for today’s TVET system. He also pointed to the Education Act of 2009 (Act 779) as a cornerstone of Ghana’s pre-tertiary education system.
Under the 2018 reforms, Asare highlighted a series of significant legal, policy, and institutional changes. These included the implementation of a standards-based curriculum, the introduction of secondary education reforms, the harmonization of TVET management, and numerous other reforms aimed at positioning the education system globally.
Asare also acknowledged the continuity of education reforms under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) governments. For example, he noted that while the NDC inherited the 2009 reforms, they fully implemented and operationalized various aspects, including the Teacher Licensure exams and the creation of the National Teaching Council (NTC) and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA).
While Asare clarified that policy reforms—such as the conversion of Polytechnics to Technical Universities in 2016—are not education reforms in the strict sense, he emphasized that these reforms are part of the broader systemic changes that shape Ghana’s education landscape. He also suggested that political parties should avoid launching new reforms unnecessarily before previous ones have fully taken root and completed their lifecycle.
In conclusion, Asare invited discussion on the matter and encouraged those with counterarguments to engage in a respectful debate, warning against insults. His remarks have sparked a conversation about the evolution of Ghana’s educational policies and the role of political parties in shaping the sector’s future.
