An Educational Policy Think Tank, Institute for Education Studies (IFEST), has urged government to reverse to the cost-sharing model for Public Universities in the country.
The Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta is suggesting that, in the medium term, one of the measures to undertake will be to “wean off public tertiary institutions from government payroll and provide them with a fixed amount block grant instead.”
This, will reduce the volume of the government payroll, and by inference take the government off any responsibility in terms of workers’ agitations since the institutions would be responsible for paying their employees, the Policy Think Tank said.
But, IFEST said the move will not help with the human development of the nation.
“We might be going through various challenges which require that we think outside the box. It is also true that the public sector wage bill is an albatross on government finances.
“It, however, does not mean we should sacrifice the development of our human resources, especially at this stage of our development process,” Executive Director for IFEST, Peter Anti disclosed in a statement.
He continued “We do not have the muscle to “privatize” our public tertiary institutions. We should subscribe to a revised cost-sharing model where the government can absorb certain categories of employees’ remuneration in the public tertiary institutions in addition to the payment of a “fixed amount block”.
According to him, Minister’s move when implemented will prevent the institutions from charging exorbitant fees that will block access to tertiary education for many who cannot afford it.
“A good public policy finds a fine balance between social benefits and costs and it is implemented with the interest of the public at the center,” he added.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Isaac Dzidzoamenu
