Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has called for greater recognition and support for private schools, describing them as key investors and partners in Ghana’s national development.   

He said private school proprietors had invested substantial resources in developing what he described as the country’s most valuable asset, the Ghanaian child.   

Mr Bagbin made the call in a keynote address at the opening of the 30th Annual General Conference of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) in Ho.   

“I do not treat GNAPS as a pressure group to be managed. I treat it as a constituency of investors who have put their own money into the most important asset this nation has, which is the Ghanaian child,” he said.   

The Speaker said private education had played a vital role in Ghana’s educational history, noting that formal education was initially driven by missionaries, individuals, and other private actors before the State assumed a more prominent role in the sector.   

He said those private initiatives laid the foundation for the country’s educational development by training teachers and producing generations of professionals and national leaders.   

Mr Bagbin urged policymakers and regulators to regard private schools as valued partners in the education sector rather than institutions operating on its margins.  

He said their contributions deserved recognition and protection.   

He called on the Ministry of Education and its agencies, including the Ghana Education Service, National Schools Inspectorate Authority, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, to create a conducive environment for private schools to flourish.   

The Speaker said regulation was necessary to safeguard children and maintain standards but stressed that regulatory measures should strengthen rather than undermine the private education sector.   

Touching on technology and innovation, Mr Bagbin described the conference theme, “Revolutionising Education: Transforming Ghana Through Innovation and Technology,” as timely.  

However, he cautioned against adopting technological tools without adequately preparing teachers to use them effectively.   

He noted that technology could only improve learning outcomes when teachers possessed the requisite skills, adding that the mere provision of smart boards or tablets did not constitute educational innovation.   

Mr Justice King Essiel Amevor, Vice President of GNAPS, who spoke on behalf of the National President, Professor Damasus Tuurosong, said private schools continued to provide quality and affordable education while expanding access and enrollment across the country.   

He said innovation and technology should drive meaningful transformation in teaching and learning, stressing that modern education requires creativity, critical thinking, coding, artificial intelligence, and digital problem-solving skills.   

Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of Asogli State, represented by Togbe Ayim Adzokoto III, Paramount Chief of Takla, called for practical measures to integrate technology into education while ensuring that schools in rural and underserved communities were not left behind.   

He said Ghana could not afford to remain a spectator as technology continued to reshape education globally and stressed the need to improve digital literacy, teacher training, internet connectivity, electricity supply, and access to appropriate devices.   

The chief further urged GNAPS to continue engaging government and regulatory institutions to ensure that public policies reflected the realities and contributions of private schools, describing public and private education as complementary pillars of the nation’s development.   

The three-day conference brought together private school proprietors, educationists, traditional leaders and other stakeholders to discuss the role of innovation and technology in transforming education and preparing Ghanaian children for the demands of the 21st-century economy.