Richard Kovey, Greater Accra Regional Secretary of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and a member of the Greater Accra Regional Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GARGNECC), has called on the government to urgently tackle critical challenges in Ghana’s education sector.
His appeal comes as part of activities marking the 2025 Global Action Week for Education (GAWE), celebrated under the theme “Education in Emergencies.”
Speaking on Radio Univers’ Campus Exclusive on May 20, 2025, Mr. Kovey described the current state of education in Ghana as a crisis, pointing out that more than one million children between the ages of 4 and 18 have never been enrolled in school.
He also condemned the continued use of makeshift classrooms, popularly referred to as “schools under trees,” stressing the harsh conditions under which many students are forced to learn—particularly during the rainy season.
“It’s a crisis when over one million children have never set foot in a classroom. It is inhumane to place someone’s child under a tree to learn, only for classes to end the moment it begins to rain.”
Mr. Kovey further emphasized the urgent need for increased government investment in education, especially in infrastructure. He criticized the absence of capital expenditure allocations in the national budget, noting that such omissions hinder the construction of proper classrooms and the provision of essential learning materials.
“When you examine the budget, there’s no government allocation for capital expenditure—the funding required to build classrooms and supply the tools and equipment learners need. If the planning phase of the budget doesn’t make room for these necessities, then we’ve already failed to address the sector’s most pressing needs.”
Richard Kovey also called on the government to prioritize education funding, especially in emergencies, to bridge gaps in school enrollment and infrastructure and ensure inclusive, quality education for all Ghanaian children.
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Story by: Gabriel Opoku | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by: Wahab Abdul Razak
