In response to the ongoing challenges caused by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam and its impact on education, Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has issued a press statement calling for the adoption of an Education in Emergency (EIE) plan and the deployment of virtual learning tools as a suggestion to government.
The organization initially made emphasis on the significant disruption in education services that has persisted for two weeks in various districts and communities with particular highlights on certain affected districts.
In the press statement, EduWatch made reference to what was a previous suggestion of the adoption of an EIE earlier in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic at the time.
The organisation pointed out government’s failure to realise the sugestion, further explaining the importance of taking the measure into consideration.
“In 2020, during the COVID-19 crisis, Eduwatch called for the adoption and operationalization of an Education In Emergency (EIE) Plan for Ghana; a Plan that provides the necessary values, guidelines and processes that must be followed by Education Sector Institutions and Local Governments in the event of a disaster that has the potential to disrupt education systems in any district in Ghana.”
“Unfortunately, this call is yet to fully materialize, as the process of developing an EIE Plan for Ghana has dragged for years. An EIE Plan should recognise that education is an immediate and urgent basic need in crisis contexts, just like food and health services, and must be an integral part of any humanitarian response. It is critical that people’s right to education is not hampered in times of emergency.”
Simultaneously, a call was made for the deployment of virtual school learning interventions as a means of providing education for learners in the areas affected by the spillage incident, in similar fashion to that of the Corona Virus pandemic.
“In the interim, we call on the Ministry of Education to support the Ghana Education Service and the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS) to deploy pre-recorded learning content used during the COVID-19 school closure on media networks and energy efficient mobile learning devices in the affected areas.”
“We urge District Assemblies to work closely with Education Directors to identify safe shelters for students to gather and participate in the virtual learning deployment under the guidance of teachers or facilitators.”
EduWatch finally reiterated the need for an EIE Plan in the national education sector, this time urgently pressing for the processes in its implementation to be hastened.
“We call on the Ministry of Education to speed up the process of finalizing, resourcing, and implementing an EIE Plan for Ghana.”
” We call for the regular support of Education Development Partners and Non-Governmental Organizations towards providing education aid and restoring education service in the affected districts.”
Below is the full statement from Eduwatch.
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Story by : Deborah Yakohene | univers.ug.edu.gh
