STAR-Ghana Foundation has collaborated with SONGTABA to organise a zonal consultative town hall meeting as part of its manifesto influencing initiative for the upcoming 2024 general election.
The meeting held in Tamale was to provide a platform for stakeholders from divers backgrounds in the Northern, Upper East and North East regions to engage in constructive dialogue on key issues affecting their communities with the aim of fostering inclusive participation and contributing to the development of comprehensive manifestoes of the various political parties for the 2024 general elections.
Head of Programmes at STAR-GHANA, Madam Eunice Agbenyadzi, said in Northern Ghana, about 80 percent of students in basic education do not have access to desks and this number is compared to about 40 percent in the southern sector.
She said the government needs to ensure that investments into the sector is well utilized so as to make education more attractive and serene for teaching and learning.
“We do know that political party’s manifestos have become very important tool in setting policy direction and agenda for development for Ghana, we do understand that the issues that political parties want to focus on should be coming from the citizens and so the town hall meeting is to generate citizens’ issues that would be presented to the political parties for consideration as they draft their manifestos for the 2024 election,” she stated.
Executive Director for Songtaba, Hajia Lamnatu Adam, said it is important for such a town hall meeting to bring citizens together to discuss issues of national interest, especially issues that citizens want political parties to feature in their various manifestos.
She mentioned access to quality education, primary healthcare, as well as social protection, among issues affecting the vulnerables in society and serving as hindrance to the development of citizens, hence the call on political parties to consider including citizens in their political manifestos to help address their issues.
Touching on the free Senior High School (SHS), she noted that citizens’ call for the review of the free SHS education policy is to enhance the quality of the program.
Executive Director of the Savannah Women and Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA) Ghana, Hajia Alima Sagito Saaed, said the citizen perspective would be responsible for some actionable plans citizens expect politicians to consider in developing their manifestos.
“In ensuring transformative and development of a country, quality education is key and therefore the need for government to invest more funds and infrastructure into the sector to provide quality education to the young ones.,” she stated.
According to her, despite government frantic effort in improving Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, the awareness creation has been impressive and therefore more infrastructure need to be provided to achieve the set goals.
Hajia Saaed said with the Technical, Vocational and Education Technology (TVET), though government is investing in the area, it is the responsibility of citizens to ensure that the funds utilized for its purpose.
Source: Comfort Sena