On the other hand, the SLPP manifesto dubbed: ‘New Direction – The People’s Manifesto says on improving education in the country that: “This APC Government’s efforts to improve education have largely focused on hunting down ghost teachers. Early childhood education for instance has been slapped on to the back of a new 6-3-4-4 system which now replaces the 6-3-3-4.”

It adds: “The primary objective of the New Direction is to increase access to quality pre-primary, primary, secondary, technical and vocational education and training as well as university education that will enable them engage in meaningful productive economic activity. The New Direction education policies will focus on education governance and financing, human resource management, teaching, primary and secondary school management and supervision, TVET and university education.

It adds that to attain this, the SLPP shall: “Revert from 6-3-4-4 system of education to the 6-3-3-4 with focus on improving learning and teaching and providing for those who cannot pursue university education.”   

Apparently, the APC Manifesto says it will “Expand the education goals developed in the Agenda for Prosperity for all teacher development initiatives; Strengthen the education inspectorate system; Provide free education for the physically challenged and disadvantaged; Support measures to increase the retention of women in education and promote their enrolment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects; Facilitate student loans for tuition and books; Continue to pay for all public exams and review the 6-3-3-4  system and the  relevance of  the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

See next edition for more details.