Executive Member of the Parents Teachers Association, Noel Kofi Mawufegbe, has said that all Ghanaians, including the government, have failed to prioritize education.

According to him, education should be given special attention, as it is a major sector in all aspects; unfortunately, it has failed.

Speaking on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning show, Mr. Mawufegbe asserted that parents are requesting the independence of the education field to allow for neutrality in terms of governance.

“We parents are saying that it should get to a point when education stands alone because the table on which we are at this moment, minus education, where would you have been? Education has to be given such top-notch priority that is first without second, but have we done so in this country? No, we’ve all failed, including our professors, doctors, and everybody involved as a society,” he told the host, Roselyn Felli.

Mr. Mawufegbe emphasised that politics has not been helpful to education. Instead, he thinks the constitution, which is the main regulation, is the best tool for enhancing the system without political intervention.

Hayford Attah Krufi, spokesperson on the New Patriotic Party’s Education Manifesto, shared his thoughts as to whether education should be politicised or not; he concurred with Mr. Mawufegbe, adding that the well-being of children matters and decisions regarding their education should be done by neutral bodies and experts.

“I believe sincerely that education should be depoliticised because every Ghanaian child matters. When you’re educating a child, decisions as to what is good for them are something that has to be taken by educators and policymakers. So, it should be depoliticised,” he said.

He furthered that the sustainability of the things they learn in school and the environment they find themselves in is the most important thing. Therefore, decision-makers who are important in determining the progress of the children’s future should not be politically affiliated.

“So, I agree with Noel that we should take education out of politics and standardise it for the benefit of children and for the future," he reiterated.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Ghana’s educational net enrolment for KG and primary is 89% and 92%, respectively, between 2021 and 2022. It also reported that in 2024, 80 percent of children still do not acquire basic skills in literacy and numeracy by the end of primary school.

Based on the reports, UNICEF concluded that strong political leadership and advocacy are among the major factors affecting the country’s education system.