Speaking on the budget allocated to education, Hon Njai revealed that the Ministry of Basic Education requested D320.5 million for the School Improvement Grant (SIG). However, she added that the Finance Ministry allocated D288 million instead.
“The D320 million is just 0.8% of the entire budget estimates allocation and the children of this country under 19 are 54% who are within the school going age. This means the government shows less attention to the education sector in the country,” she underscored, while debating on the Consolidated Report of the Finance and Public Accounts Committee for consideration of the 2025 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure.
“The budget is to better our education system. We have seen year after year how increasing the failure rate is in WASSCE and GABECE examinations. This should be a concern to the government to consider and allocate enough budget to the country’s education system.”
“I thank the Education Committee for looking out for the monetary aspect of the education so that at least the ministry would monitor and improve on the quality of the education.”
Hon. Yahya Sanyang, the Member for Latrikunda Sabiji, said the SIG should either be increased by government or totally eradicated.
“The insufficient allocation is not helping, teachers are not motivated, they are not provided with adequate learning materials or environment and this is due to the inadequate SIGs which is forcing teachers to leave the profession,” he pointed out.
From a different point of view, Hon. Njai stressed that the Finance minister’s failure to give his quarterly oral statement on the implementation of the budget hinders next budget process and allocation for lawmakers.
“According to our standing, the minister of Finance, should at least once every session make an oral ministerial statement on the budget implementation.”
That, she said has been flouted for the past three ordinary sessions.
“The reason we are having problems with the budget is due to this violation. If the ministerhas abides by that provision of our Standing Order, we would have known how and where we are on the budget and try to rectify certain mistakes,” she observed.
“It is very difficult if those that are supposed to implement fail to do their responsibilities and we as lawmakers are expected to do our oversight functions properly, this makes our work difficult,” she flagged.
“The Finance minister did not only violate our standing orders to deliver the oral statement on implementation for three quarters. He also violates the constitution for wrongfully tabling of the budget estimate.
“The debate on the budget is illegal as the tabling was unconstitutional. We are urged as MPs to respect our standing order; however, we have totally disregarded the supreme law of the country by allowing the tabling of the budget in less than 60 days.”
