Education Ministry to amend law to restore faith-based representation on GES Council

The Ministry of Education plans to amend the Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049) to ensure proper representation of recognized faith-based organizations on the Ghana Education Service (GES) Council. This decision comes after the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference expressed concerns about their exclusion from the current GES Council.

Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Clement Apak, stated that these concerns are being taken into serious consideration. The Ministry acknowledged the substantial contributions of faith-based institutions to Ghana's educational system and intends to address the increasing discipline issues in the sector through their representation on the GES Council.

The Ghana Education Service Act, 1995 (Act 506) originally allowed for three representatives of faith-based organizations on the council. However, the Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049) reduced this to just one representative. This reduction has created an anomaly in the representation of faith-based organizations, according to the Ministry.

When the GES Council was constituted in 2025, the government recognized the insufficient representation and decided to maintain the current arrangement pending an amendment to the law. The Ministry emphasized that this proposed amendment will align with the government's decentralization policy on education. They have been actively engaging relevant stakeholders on this matter.

The Ministry reiterated its commitment to an inclusive and consultative approach to education governance and pledged to continue engaging stakeholders to strengthen the education sector. They acknowledged the invaluable contributions of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference and other faith-based organizations to education in Ghana and urged them to collaborate with the government to tackle the growing discipline issues in the education sector while the legislative review progresses.