The Education Minister, Dr Osei Yaw Adutwum, says the government is giving meaning to the expression Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.
The minister who is also the MP for Bosomtwe said since assuming power in 2017, the government had also made public school desirable.
Participating in the budget debate in Parliament, Accra, yesterday, Dr Adutwum said, the government had been intentional about improving public schools at all levels to end the class society that had existed over the years.
“In case you don’t know, there are number of schools across the country that we are demolishing and building new ones. Across the length and breadth of this country, transformation is happening around us.
“There has been increase in capitation grant, TVET education is being transformed. All the 23 NVTI schools have been retooled and revamped and new STEM schools being built.
“Our basic schools are seeing transformation. New primary and junior high schools are being built across the country,” he said.
As the election approaches, Dr Adutwum said Ghanaians had become wiser and politicians must stay away from running down their opponents and sell to them what they have to offer.
“Make no mistake at all because Ghanaians have become wiser. The era where we have to lambast our opponents to win elections is over. Ghanaians are saying that if you want to come back to power, tell me what your vision is.
In his view, the electorate have noticed that the constant focus on the ills of the opponent without any alternative was a political gimmick and would not fall for that going forward.
“We are making our people hopeless because we have by our statements told them that there is no hope in Ghana.
“The argument should be I will be able to do much more. That is the politics we have to do in this country.”
He said, as a country, there was the need for successor governments to continue from where a previous government had left off; something he said, the government had diligently pursued.
He cited the completion of numerous community day senior high school projects started by the erstwhile John Mahama administration and conversion of some of them into boarding facilities to buttress his argument.
“NPP believes that when we come into government, we have to improve upon what has been left behind. We will not sit here and say you haven’t done anything. We say prove to the people that you are better so that Ghanaians will make a choice,” he stated.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
