Story: Rebecca Tetteh 

President John Dramani Mahama has underscored the need  to decentralise education governance.

Mr Mahama made this observation during the presentation of the final report of the National Education Forum on Thursday, June 5, 2025 at the seat of government. 

According to him,  local governments, district education offices, school boards, and community leaders must be given greater authority, flexibility, and accountability in managing schools. 

He said entralised decision- making had  led to delays, inefficiencies, and disconnection from local realities. 

“Decentralisation will not only improve service delivery but also restore a sense of ownership and urgency at the grassroots level”, President Mahama claimed.

Acknowledging the challenges facing the country’s education sector, the Ghanaian leader called  for a strong national commitment to foundational learning. 

“If we fail to get the basics right — reading, writing, critical thinking, and arithmetic — then no reform at the secondary or tertiary level will succeed”, he said. 

He added: “The evidence is clear: children who cannot read with understanding by age 10 are at a lifelong disadvantage. We must invest in trained teachers, learning materials, and supportive home environments to give every child a fair start”. 

President Mahama also in his address  noted that elevating  and transforming  Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).would help get the needed skills for development  

He was not happy that TVET had  been treated as a second-tier option. 

That, he said  must end, saying  “we will build modern, well-resourced TVET institutions across all regions, aligned with emerging economic sectors such as agro-processing, green energy, manufacturing, construction, and digital services. And we will forge strong partnerships with industry to ensure that training leads to employment or entrepreneurship”. 

President Mahama welcomed the full rollout of a National Apprenticeship Programme, integrated into the formal education and skills development framework. 

This, he said,   aligned  with “our broader goal of building a 24-hour economy, which depends on skilled labour operating across multiple shifts and sectors. We must give our young people real pathways to learn on the job, earn while learning, and transition seamlessly into productive careers”. 

All these, he said,   would not be achieved  if  priority was not  given to  professional development, motivation, and welfare of teachers. 

According to President  Mahama no education reform could  succeed without empowered and respected teachers. 

“As part of our reform agenda, we will improve teacher training colleges, provide continuous professional learning opportunities, and implement a fair, transparent deployment and incentive system that rewards excellence and supports underserved areas”, he promised . 

He assured the national education  committee that  his  government was  committed to implementing the recommendations of with urgency and seriousness. 

“In the coming weeks, the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the National Development Planning Commission, will align the Forum’s recommendations with our 2026 Budget Framework and Medium-Term Development Strategy. Implementation will begin immediately, with a strong focus on financing, monitoring, and accountability”, he said. 

He, however, said that the  reforms cannot  be accomplished by government alone. 

He said, It must be a national effort, anchored in political will, social partnership, and long-term commitment. 

“We will work closely with Parliament, the Ghana Education Service, religious institutions, unions, the private sector, and our international development partners to deliver on this vision. 

The task ahead is enormous — but it is also inspiring. We stand today on the shoulders of great Ghanaian educators and reformers — from James Kwegyir Aggrey to Efua Sutherland, from Professor J.H. Kwabena Nketia to Ama Ata Aidoo — all of whom believed in the transformative power of education. We owe it to them, and to the children yet unborn, to build an education system that equips every Ghanaian child with the tools to thrive in a changing world”, he said.