KEY POINTS
- Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO), claims the NDC completed only 28 E-block schools out of the 200 they promised.
- The E-block project was initiated to improve access to secondary education in underserved areas.
- The NPP government has been criticized for its handling of education infrastructure, but NAPO argues they have delivered more than the NDC.
Ghana’s Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, alias NAPO, has said that the NDC built only 28 of the 200 E-blocks they had pledged to construct when they were in power. These E-blocks which were intended to be community day senior high schools were part of the policy direction of the NDC to increase access to education especially in the rural areas.
During a recent event, NAPO took a swipe at the NDC on education infrastructure saying that while they had big dreams, they failed to meet them. NAPO also noted that the inability to provide the said schools shows that the NDC administration was not serious with the development of education in the country.
The e-block project and its significance
The E-block project was one of the major projects implemented by the NDC when former President John Dramani Mahama was in power. The rationale for the project was to relieve congestion in existing secondary schools and increase enrolment and access to education in rural and less developed areas of Ghana. To reduce the pressure on urban schools and make it possible for students in the remote areas to attend quality institutions, the NDC constructed 200 community day senior high schools.
However, NAPO has said that the project was never fully implemented, with only 28 schools constructed during the NDC administration. The remaining uncompleted schools have been an issue of debate with the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) accusing the NDC of neglecting to complete critical infrastructure projects, which the current government is forced to complete.
GhanaWeb reported that NAPO said his government under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has done more in filling the gaps in the education infrastructure though they found some projects half-way. The Minister said that the NPP government has focused on fulfilling the remaining tasks of the NDC and increasing the number of students in secondary schools throughout Ghana.
Opposition to NPP’S record on education infrastructure
While the NPP government has boasted of having developed educational infrastructure, the opponents have also accused them of not fulfilling some of the promises. The main political parties’ representatives have criticized the NPP and overemphasizing its deeds and visa-versa for the NDC.
The E-block debate has emerged as one of the central issues in the political contestation of which party has done most for education in Ghana. About the welfare of schools the current government Opposition has accused NPP saying they claim to be exerting efforts to fulfill the projects of NDC but they have failed to come to the aid of problems persisting with education sector including overcrowding, inadequate resources and teacher shortage.
The never ending controversy of education in Ghana
With this, the NDC and NPP parties remain aware of a lot of work required to expand access to education and increase the quality of education in Ghana. The E-block project is still a representation of this broader fight, with both parties trying to assume the role of the ‘good guys’ in the fight against infrastructure development.
To many people of Ghana, the completion of the E-blocks is not just an issue of political agenda but a matter of concern in the future of the youths.
The two leading political parties will continue campaigning for more elections in future and education is probable to go on being an issue of interest due to the various education problems affecting the nation as the two parties compete to convince the people of the country that they are in the right position to solve the education issues.
