AfriPulse
The Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, has begun work on a new Bill aimed at devolving key education functions to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
The objective is to align the Act more closely with Ghana’s decentralisation policy by clarifying mandates, eliminating institutional overlaps, and ensuring the transfer of appropriate education functions to Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
The process was launched during a high-level meeting held at the IMCC Secretariat in Accra, bringing together officials from the Ministry, the Legislative Review Committee (LRC) of the IMCC, and technical experts. The meeting focused on agreeing on Terms of Reference and clarifying the scope of work of the Committee.
Dr. Gameli Kewuribe Hoedoafia, the Executive Secretary of the IMCC, explained that the Joint Working Committee was formed after consultations with the Minister of Education to fast-track ongoing devolution efforts.
”The Legislative Review Committee of the IMCC is a critical platform for legal reform. Under the chairmanship of Professor Kwamina Ahwoi, the Committee has already done some critical work, including the review of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936) and a Legislative Instrument (L.I) for Inter-Sectoral Collaboration and Cooperation at the MMDA level.
”The Minister, during his engagement in Navrongo, questioned how a municipal assembly such as Kassena Nankana cannot recruit or sanction a teacher but must wait for the Ghana Education Service.”
The minister’s remark according to him echoed the President’s earlier concerns about strengthening decentralised education management.
“The committee must work collaboratively so that by June, we can complete this review, submit it to Cabinet, and then to Parliament. The timelines are tight, but achievable with full cooperation,” he added.
Lydia Essuah, the Chief Director of the Ministry, affirmed the Ministry’s support but emphasised the limitations of Act 1049 as a foundation for devolution.
She urged the committee to examine each level of pre-tertiary education in detail, stressing that “we must look closely at basic, secondary, and technical levels to determine what issues exist and what can be devolved.”
She said issues such as teacher recruitment, school inception processes, curriculum development, and curriculum review all need to be examined carefully.
Chairman of the Legislative Review Committee, Prof. Ahwoi, underscored the historic nature of the exercise, noting that the initiative fully aligns with the government’s broader decentralisation agenda.
Devolution of pre-tertiary education was initially expected to be completed in 2016 under President John Dramani Mahama, but the process stalled, prompting the introduction of Act 1049 by subsequent administrations.
Source: TheGhanaReport | Read the Full Story…
