Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh,Education Minister
The Education Ministry has received GH¢11,195,401,221.00 as its share of the 2019 budget for the implementation of its programmes and policies for the year ending December 31.
The amount represents a 20.92 per cent of the GH¢9.2 billion budgeted for the administration of the education sector for 2018.
Of the amount, over GH¢9.2 billion, representing 82.24 per cent, has been earmarked to cater for compensation.
Other expenditure items of the amount include a GH¢1.4 billion, representing 13.11 per cent for goods and services and GH¢520.9 million, representing 4.65 per cent for capital expenditure.
Sponsors of the budget include the Government of Ghana, 83.43 per cent, Internally Generated Funds, 13.89 per cent and Donor support 2.67 per cent.
Per the breakdown, GH¢2.5 billion would be spent on management and administration, GH¢4.3 billion on Basic Education, GH¢1.1 billion on Second Cycle Education, GH¢47.4 million on Non Formal Education, GH¢9.3 million on Inclusive and Special Education and GH¢3 billion on tertiary education.
Moving the motion for the approval of the budget estimate in Parliament yesterday, Education Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh re-emphasized the importance of education for which reason his colleagues should approve the allocation.
“The fundamental role education plays in the socio-economic development of every nation cannot be underestimated. Thus, it is necessary to adequately resource the Ministry of Education to enable it achieve its set goals,” he said.
The Ranking Member on the Education Committee, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, Akatsi North MP, expressed concern over what he said was the low investment in basic education, urging government to commit further funds to that level of education.
According to him government had not taken care of the compensation of over 28,000 newly recruited teachers in the budget; a situation he said could expose the recruits to economic hardship in the course of the year.
Mr Nortsu-Kotoe also wants the free SHS policy, which has been placed under the Office of Government Machinery (OGM), moved to the Education Ministry, arguing that the centralisation of activities at the OGM could be a breeding ground for corruption.
But the Education Minister, in his final remarks before the approval said scholarship programmes like the free Senior High School (SHS) policy has always been under the Scholarship Secretariat which is part of OGM.
The House, meanwhile, approved a GH¢636 million budget estimate for the Railway Ministry, GH¢49 million for the Business Development Ministry, GH¢43 million for the Youth and Sports Ministry, GH¢525 million for Lands and Natural Resources and GH¢306 million for the Trade and Industry Ministry.
It also adopted the Finance Committee’s Report on the Protocol of Amendment to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonisation of Customs Procedures, passed resolutions for an amount of €22.8 million and US$60 million to finance the execution of the Renewable Energy Programme and to finance the proposed Ghana Productive Safety Net Project respectively.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
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