The Ministry of Education has proposed setting aside 2% of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) annual allocation as an emergency intervention fund to enable the government to respond more quickly to crises affecting schools and learners.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said the proposal has received the backing of the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, and would provide the Ministry with greater financial flexibility to respond to emergencies, including conflicts, floods and other disasters that disrupt teaching and learning.
The Minister announced the proposal during an engagement with Associates for Change, a Ghanaian research and consulting organisation specialising in social policy, equity and international development, on September 24.
The proposal comes amid concerns about the impact of conflicts, disasters and other emergencies on children’s access to education, particularly in vulnerable communities.
Research by Associates for Change indicates that West Africa has the largest proportion of out-of-school children on the African continent, with many living in communities affected by insurgencies and other forms of conflict.
The organisation said such conditions continue to expose children to prolonged disruptions to their education.
Emergency funding for education
Speaking at the engagement, Mr Iddrisu said the government had already begun implementing measures to protect children and support the continuation of education in communities affected by emergencies.
He said the proposed emergency fund would provide the Ministry with resources to respond more rapidly when crises occur, rather than relying entirely on lengthy budgetary processes.
The proposed allocation is expected to support interventions aimed at minimising disruptions to schooling and ensuring that children affected by emergencies can continue their education.
The engagement formed part of preparations for the second High-Level Conference on Education in Emergencies in West Africa, which is expected to examine African-led approaches to protecting children and maintaining continuity of education during periods of crisis.
Preparing teachers for emergencies
Director and Founder of Associates for Change, Dr Leslie Casely-Hayford, also presented findings from the organisation’s research on education in emergencies in Ghana and across the West African region.
She highlighted the need to prepare teachers to work effectively in communities facing recurring challenges such as flooding, climate-related disasters and insecurity.
Dr Casely-Hayford recalled an earlier policy under which trainee teachers were bonded to district education offices to encourage them to return and serve in their communities after completing their training.
“Ten years ago, five years ago, the Ministry had a policy that before a teacher entered training college, they should have a bond with the district education office to serve back in those communities,” she said.
According to her, research by Associates for Change suggests that such an approach could help teachers better understand and respond to the specific circumstances of the communities where they work.
“Our studies have shown that once we do that type of approach, it allows for the teachers to contextualize their training programmes,” she said.
She said teachers prepared in this way could be better equipped to serve in districts affected by flooding, climate change and insurgencies.
“When they’re coming out of teacher training, they are ready to serve in their region, in their district, which sometimes is affected by flooding or by climate change or by insurgencies,” she added.
Psychosocial support
Dr Casely-Hayford also stressed the importance of equipping teachers with skills to provide psychosocial support to children and colleagues affected by emergencies.
“In those areas, we are using an approach that is helping teachers become more prepared and more ready to serve in those areas, including the psychosocial support for their teaching and learning,” she said.
Stakeholders at the engagement said conflicts, disasters and other emergencies pose significant threats to children’s access to education and can deepen existing inequalities.
They stressed the need for stronger emergency preparedness, adequate financing and sustained investment in education to maintain learning when crises occur.
The proposed 2% GETFund emergency allocation is expected to form part of broader efforts to strengthen Ghana’s capacity to respond to education-related emergencies and minimise disruptions to schooling.
The upcoming high-level conference will bring together stakeholders to examine how countries in West Africa can develop and implement African-led solutions to protect children and ensure continuity of education during emergencies.
