Teachers are the cause of Ghana’s problem and not the Finance Minister – Deputy Minister of Education

According to Deputy Education Minister, rather than blaming economists, blame teachers for Ghana’s economic problems.

The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, is not to blame for the country’s current economic problems, according to Gifty Twum-Ampofo, the Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Technician and Vocational Education Training (TVET).

According to Gifty Twum-Ampofo, the gross tertiary enrolment ratio of a nation has a significant impact on how well its economy performs.

She lamented the low gross tertiary enrollment ratio in Ghana, which is a result of students’ subpar academic achievement and has a serious detrimental influence on the country’s economy.

“Studies have shown that the gross tertiary enrollment ratio of a nation has a significant impact on GDP. As a result, we are confident that the gross tertiary enrollment ratio will rise if our lecturers and instructors assume this responsibility and demonstrate such a high level of devotion, which will raise the nation’s GDP.

“And for this straightforward reason, if the economy is struggling, it is the teachers, not the economists,” she concluded. Let me reiterate: If the economy is struggling, it is not the finance minister, it is not the economist, it is the teachers, as the country’s gross tertiary enrolment ratio determines how well the economy performs, she informed the audience.

Gifty Twum-Ampofo urged teachers to do more to contribute their share to the economic growth of the country through the training of the necessary human capital for economic transformation. She further emphasized that countries with a gross tertiary enrollment ratio of 40% and above have fantastic GDPs, while those with lower gross tertiary enrollment ratios have struggling economies.

“Countries with GDPs of 40% or higher have excellent economies, whereas those of us with GDPs below that are experiencing difficulties. The foundation you established as a teacher is now the answer.

Speaking on the subject of “175 Years of Education Honouring Our Past, Celebrating The Present, and Shaping The Future” during the 175th Anniversary of Presbyterian College of Education on Saturday, July 1, 2023, she remarked.

The government was urged to create a special compensation plan for the salaries of College of Education teachers as they transfer to Degree Awarding Institutions by Rt. Rev. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, who is also the Chancellor of Presbyterian University Ghana PUG and the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana.

In order to encourage teachers to completely commit to teaching and teacher training in the nation, the Moderator claims that teacher compensation should be properly updated and packaged to suit the transition from Diploma Awarding Institutions to Degree Awarding Institutions.

The Moderator also asked the government to transform institutions of education into fully equipped universities that will grant their own degrees independently and without affiliation.

However, the Presbyterian College of Education’s Principal, Akropong Rev. Nicholas Apreh Siaw, cited a number of pressing issues that the college must address, including inadequate staff housing, inadequate transportation for students to and from school and field trips, and the encroachment on their land.

Source: Mynewsghana.com