Education policy think tank Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), has outlined key expectations ahead of the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), calling on President John Dramani Mahama to provide a detailed account of how the government’s education allocation has been utilised over the past year.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, February 26, Eduwatch urged President Mahama to provide accountability in his second SONA scheduled for Friday, February 27.
The think tank recalled that during the 2025 SONA, President Mahama unveiled an ambitious vision for the education sector, anchored on 41 initiatives and major reforms intended to transform teaching and learning outcomes over the course of his tenure.
Eduwatch stated that the upcoming address presents a critical opportunity for accountability and transparency.
According to the think tank, it expects the president to provide a comprehensive update on how the funds were applied in pursuit of his stated education vision, the key achievements recorded, and the measurable outcomes that have emerged since implementation began.
“One year after implementing a full budget cycle with a significant allocation of GH¢42.1 billion to education in 2025, Eduwatch expects His Excellency to provide an account of how the funds have been applied in pursuit of his outlined vision for education and the key accomplishments and outcomes that have emerged in the past year, while acknowledging challenges and mitigation strategies to strengthen policy and budgetary efficiency and effectiveness.”
Eduwatch also wants the President to openly acknowledge challenges encountered in executing the reforms and outline mitigation strategies aimed at strengthening policy delivery, as well as improving budgetary efficiency and effectiveness in the sector.
Beyond accountability for past spending, the organisation identified teacher recruitment and deployment as a top priority area requiring urgent attention in 2026.
It expressed concern that the failure to recruit teachers during the 2025 financial year has worsened staffing gaps, particularly in underserved basic schools across deprived and rural districts.
According to Eduwatch, many of these communities were already grappling with severe teacher shortages prior to 2025, and the absence of new recruitment has deepened the crisis.
