Proper programme evaluations, especially in the education sector, would lead to accountability and improved service delivery, Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has said. ‘Programme evaluations enable us to make informed decisions about which interventions to scale up, which to modify, and which to eliminate. ‘It also provides decision-makers with the information they need to allocate public resources effectively,’ he said in a speech read for him at an impact evaluation training and benchmarking workshop organized by the Development Impact West Africa (DIWA) for researchers in Africa. The workshop is an initiative of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration and the Center for Effective Global Action, a hub for research, training, and innovation headquartered at the University of California, Berkeley. The Minister noted that researchers could provide policymakers with valuable insights and evidence-based recommendations that could inform the development of effective policies. ‘Policymakers can ensure that research findings are translated into actionable policies that can address the challenges facing our education sector,’ he said. Dr Adutwum indicated that the Ministry’s 2018-2030 Education Strategic Plan highlighted its commitment and responsibility to using research evidence to inform policies and programmes that improve learning outcomes. Research and evidence-based policymaking, he observed, were essential ingredients for sustainable development. Also, evidence-based policies could help identify the best ways to tackle the challenges facing the country’s education sector and improve learning outcomes. To facilitate research within the education sector, Dr Adutwum stated that the Statistics Research Information Management Directorate of the Ministry had established an Education Sector Research Group with representatives from academia, ministries, agencies, civil society organizations, and development partners. The Research Group has developed the Education Sector Research Agenda based on priority areas for research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education, Early Childhood Education, and National Standards Test. The Minister said Ghana had made strides in improving access to education, as demonstrated by the increased enrolment of children in schools. He said the government had invested in the education sector by providing the requisite funding for infrastructure development, teacher training, and learning materials, all of which had improved the overall quality of education in the country. ‘With the right policies, investments, and partnerships, Ghana can harness its vast potential and make significant contributions to the development of the African continent,’ he said. Professor Charles Amoatey, Director Development Impact West Africa, said the workshop was to improve the capacity of the Academia to conduct policy research to inform decision-making. He said the participants would be trained on how they can work with government ministries to evaluate all the flagship programmes like the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, the One District, One Dam initiative and agricultural improvement programmes. The programme is to ensure that the government produces policies that are informed by evidence and not just party politics. ‘We want to know which programmes are working and which are not, and how they can change their policies based on the findings of the research,’ Prof. Amoatey said. Prof Pascaline Dupas, Faculty Director, Centre for Global Development, Sandford University, said the government’s Free SHS policy had increased secondary school completion rates by 30 per cent . She said the policy had led to significant gains in cognitive scores, delayed fertility, and marriage among the students, and enabled healthier behaviours.
Source: Ghana News Agency