Basic schools do not have textbooks for the new curriculum – Clement Apaak

Dr Clement Apaak, a member of the Education Committee of Parliament, has criticized the government for its failure to provide complete sets of textbooks to public schools four years after the introduction of a new curriculum.

According to Dr Apaak, the committee’s checks have revealed that no school in Ghana has received all the textbooks required by the new curriculum.

During a visit by the Quality Assurance Committee of Parliament to assess textbook availability, Dr Apaak emphasized that no school has the full complement of the new textbooks. He expressed doubts about claims made by the Education Minister, referencing a headteacher in Cape Coast who said they had all the required textbooks.

Dr Apaak questioned the authenticity of the list provided by the ministry, which was used for the assessment.

Dr Apaak attributed the delay in textbook distribution to the government’s failure to pay publishers and distributors for the books produced. He also highlighted the limitations of the GETfund, making it difficult to generate the necessary revenue for such projects.

Consequently, the production and distribution of textbooks have been halted until the printers are paid for their services.

Despite consistent communication from the Education Committee to the Education Minister regarding the situation, Dr Apaak expressed frustration with the lack of action taken. He called on parents and teachers to demand better accountability from the government and emphasized that it is unacceptable for teachers and schools to continue facing a lack of adequate textbooks four years after the curriculum’s introduction.

In July 2022, Deputy Minister of Education Reverend John Ntim Fordjour announced that the distribution of textbooks to all basic schools in the country was underway.

He stated that if the printers adhered to the assigned timelines, all regions and districts would receive their books within a few weeks.

Source: AdomOnline