The African Education Watch has petitioned the Ghana Education Service to withdraw and reevaluate Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) or Civil Society Organization (CSO) regulatory framework.

The GES seeks to implement NGO regulatory policy from February that will band an NGO in the education sector from carrying out any project unless framework it has paid an NGO/CSO application fee, GES approves its activities and project proposals before securing funding, it discloses its finances to GES and its activities will jointly implemented with GES.

But in a statemendt signed by the Africa Education Watch Executive Director, Kofi Asare the policy when implement will impede the effective operations of NGOs and CSOs in the education sector of the country.

He argued that the new policy will undermine the rights of NGOs/CSOs to freedom of Association, their independence, or constrict the Civic Space.

While the GES has the mandate to implement pre-tertiary education policies, they are not a regulatory agency. In fact, nowhere in the GES Act 506, Education Act 778, or the recently passed Pre-Tertiary Education Act, is the GES clothed with the powers to regulate NGOs/CSOs,” he noted.

Mr Asare further noted that the GES regulatory policy is contrary to the Gender, Children and Social Protection Ministry's NGO Bill.

Thus, it will be imprudent for the Education Service to forge ahead with their policy which could create foreseeable inconsistencies and duplications.

"The practice of rushing to enact policies with the hope of later seeking legislative ratification should be discouraged, as the recent experience of struggling to ratify the Tertiary Education Policy with a controversial Public University Bill remains a fresh lesson."