Current Issue Note 13: Stress-Testing Double-Track Senior High School (SHS): 16-Week Two-Semester Academic Calendar Has Structural Design Defects

Posted on August 7, 2018 by admin

The recent announcement by Government to introduce a 16-week two-semester double-track enrolment programme for Senior High Schools (SHS) has generated a lot of heated discussions in the public space. There are those who believe it is an excellent initiative which will improve access to secondary education in the country while there are others who have expressed concerns that it may dilute the quality of education. The Ghana Growth and Development Platform (GGDP), in line with our mission to offer qualitative analysis on public policies (and offer alternative policy options where applicable), has taken interest in the ongoing debate and we wish to chip in our contribution.

Our independent analysis of the 16-week double-track system shows that, as per its current configuration, its implementation will pose a major challenge after a maximum period of 18 months. Thus, it may not be able to last for the five-to-seven-year period that the Ministry of Education (MoE) has proposed unless there are immediate remedial actions to address its structural design defects. We arrived at our conclusion applying a stress-testing methodology where we analysed how the system will function beyond the first two years of implementation.

Download CIN at http://www.ghanagdp.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/GGDP_CIN13_Double-Track-SHS.pdf

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The Employment, Income and Foreign Exchange Effects of Small-Scale Mining (‘Galamsey’) – Working Paper 4

Posted on July 12, 2017 by admin

Abstract: Small-scale mining, largely the illegal type popularly known as ‘galamsey’, has been destroying the environment and creating social problems across the country. The first objective of this paper is to detail and analyze the employment, income and foreign exchange effects of the small-scale mining industry. Secondly, it is to propose ways of addressing the bad effects that will increase rather than diminish these good effects of the industry. Government’s corrective action must not make it difficult or impossible for people to be employed in and earn income and foreign exchange from small-scale mining while it is promoting legalization and formalization of operation, protection of the environment, and control of bad social effects. This must be done in these respects: (i) Strengthen institutions for monitoring and controlling small-scale and ‘galamsey’ activities; (ii) enforce guidelines for the protection of the environment’ (iii) control bad social effects; (iv) assist miners to legalize operations; (v) advise and assist miners to operate formally and professionally; (vi) review Ghana’s mineral land concession system; (vii) encourage education by Non-Governmental Organizations and Advocacy Groups; (viii) reinforce employment creation, income generation, and foreign exchange earnings; and (ix) undertake alternative livelihood programs.

Authors: Kwamena Essilfie Adjaye*, Kwasi Ampofo+

Download: GGDP_WP4_Economic-Effects-of-Small-scale-Mining-1.1 pdfIcon

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How the Constitution Review Process Should Be Completed – Working Paper 3

Posted on August 11, 2016 by admin

Our new Working Paper titled “How the Constitution Review Process Should Be Completed” is published and can be downloaded via the link below.

GHANAS-1992-CONSTITUTION-@-22-A-LOOK-AT-THE-PAST-THE-PRESENT-AND-THE-FUTUREAbstract: The 1992 Constitution has endured longer than previous constitutions, nonetheless there have been calls for amendment of some provisions. These calls were heeded when a Constitution Review Commission (CRC) was established in January 2010. After reviewing the major opinions from nationwide hearings and many memoranda, the CRC presented its report in December 2011, a report in which many recommendations were made.

The Government studied these recommendations and stated its position on the recommendations in a White Paper issued in June 2012. Then the Government set up a Constitution Review Implementation Committee (CRIC) in October 2012 to implement the recommendations, which fall into two categories, those that require referenda and those that don’t. But a lawsuit in July 2014 challenging its constitutionality stalled the work of the CRC until there was a favourable ruling in October 2015.

This ruling notwithstanding, the CRC’s recommendations have still not been implemented. The work of the CRC and its recommendations are evaluated, with emphasis on two major issues, decentralisation and the death penalty.

Recommendations are then made on how decentralisation can be strengthened, including on how to create new districts and elect chief executives of metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies; on how to abolish the death penalty; and on how to complete the CRC’s work. Our overriding recommendation is that all the recommendations of the CRC should be implemented by the end of December 2017.

Authors: Kwamena Essilfie Adjaye1*, Ernest Amoabeng Ortsin2 and Anthony Hugh Cobbinah3

Download link: GGDP_WP3_Constitution-Review-Process-Final pdfIcon

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