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Mr Benjamin Osei, an Education Consultant has said high quality schooling has the potentials to improve national economy as well as present strong and significant social benefits.

He said the acquisition of literacy and numeracy especially by women has great impact since it enables them to make the needed choices of advancing on the academic ladder and thereby becoming economical potent.

Mr. Osei was presenting a paper at the sixth quadrennial and 52nd regional delegates’ conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) at Fijai in the Western Region.

The Conference was on the theme: “Transforming Societies Through Education: Addressing Challenges of Quality Education towards Agenda 2030”.

The Education Consultant said a more educated society could translate into higher rates of innovation, productivity and
faster introduction of new technologies and therefore translate into a more resilient and robust society.

He said Ghana was yet to make full investment in quality education from the early childhood to the Tertiary level despite
the numerous benefits the nation stood to gain from high quality education, and called for more investment in both private and public schools.

The Education Consultant noted that the lack of books and other teaching and learning materials, qualified staff, poor
teaching and learning environment as key challenges hampering high quality education in the country.

Mr. Osei pointed out that to "break away from the challenges identified and to promote all-inclusive education without
discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, physical disability and also provide education that promoted lifelong opportunities"

The Government must consider improving the conditions of service of teachers, pay attention to early childhood centres,
monitor private schools and reduce poverty among the citizenry.

He said above all, the government must reject World Bank and IMF policies of financing private schools against public schools by using less qualified teachers to reduce cost, adding that accepting such a policy would seriously undermine education quality in sub-saharan Africa.

Madam Enyonam Amafugah, Western Regional Director of Education, said teachers were social agents of positive change, adding, “They are exceptional people whose contributions towards national development cannot be over emphasized”.

She said delay in the payment of salaries of newly trained teachers, lack of accommodation for teachers particularly rural areas, continue to hinder quality and enthusiastic deliveries, adding that in spite of the challenges, teachers were able to make good use of the limited resources to achieve targets.