President Mahama inherited a “sinkhole economy” but will deliver on his mandate – Haruna Idrissu

The Minister of Education, Haruna Idrissu, has asserted that President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) inherited a “sinkhole economy” having the potential to impede the speedy execution of infrastural development, especially in the education sector.

“The economy President Mahama inherited is a sinkhole economy that needs to be reset and put on track for him to deliver massive infrastructure support for our educational institutions.”

Speaking at the 72nd anniversary of Keta Senior High Technical School in the Volta region on Saturday, February 22, Mr. Idrissu said he is optimistic that the ongoing education dialogue will provide notable solutions to all challenges confronting Ghana’s education sector.

However, Mr. Idrissu assured that all outstanding infrastructural deficits would be adequately addressed through the Big Push initiative.

“President Mahama will upscale investment in general infrastructure; that is what he refers to as Big Push. Education will benefit from it”, he noted.

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The Minister of Education, Haruna Idrissu’s commitment to improving Ghana’s education infrastructure came in response to an appeal from the management of Keta Senior High Technical School, KETASCO.

The management highlighted pressing issues such as sanitation problems, a lack of modern ICT laboratories, and the urgent need for a fence around the female dormitory.

Speaking on the theme “Bridging Generational Gap, Harnessing the Past, and Inspiring the Future,” Mr. Idrissu emphasized the importance of technical education, noting that it will drive the future of learning.

He said President Mahama is “dedicated to introducing computer literacy programs in basic schools, all the way up to Senior High School while improving access to education despite economic challenges.”

In order to bridge the technological gap as a result of inadequate computers in schools, the Dean of the University of Cape Coast Business School, Professor John Gatsi, proposed a re-look at the use of mobile phones in Senior High Schools to complement the country’s drive for computer literacy.

“A study shows 97% of the urban areas have access to mobile phones at home, so is it not easier if we take a policy decision to allow mobile phones to be used in schools? The only thing is to properly regulate it. It will augment the use of computers in various schools and scale down the low access to computers a little bit.”

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Management of Ketasco also appealed to the Ghana Education Service to elevate them back to category A status.

They argue that the school’s performance in the West African School Certificate Exams, WASCE, and the National Science and Math Quiz position them for a category A school.