By Jesse Ampah Owusu
Accra, Feb. 09, GNA – Dr Jaime Saavedra, World Bank Global Director for Education, has called on Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, to discuss the rollout of education in Ghana.
The visit is the first of the Director’s two-day visit to the country to gain firsthand information on Ghana’s education sector as well as inspect the Bank’s funded initiatives in the sector.
The Global Director for Education is undertaking a two-day visit in the country from Thursday, February 09, 2023 to Friday, February 10, 2023.
Dr Adutwum commended the Bank for the various financial support it had provided for the sector, including the $150million Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP).
The GALOP, he said, was complementing Government’s effort in the provision of infrastructure and logistics support to schools, especially less-privileged schools, as well as increased enrollment in the schools.
The GALOP is a five-year project with the objective to improve the quality of education in low-performing basic education schools and strengthen education sector equity and accountability in Ghana.
He said the project had supported Government in the rollout of its Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) agenda to improve the study of science and technology in the country.
Dr Adutwum said through the STEM programme they were improving girls’ access and enrollment in the Sciences through the establishment of STEM centres and STEM Senior High Schools.
“We intend to through these initiatives to improve girls’ interest in the Sciences and Technology to meet gender parity in the delivery of education,” he added.
Dr Saaveda said the Bank would continue to partner national efforts to improve education outcomes in the country.
He said the Bank’s role was to complement the efforts of States in rolling out programmes to facilitate socio-economic development.
He added that they would continue in their support and partnership with the Ministry to improve learning outcomes.
The World Bank team also undertook a field visit to a GALOP school site at the Mantse Tackie 1 and 2 Primary School at Accra Central to see firsthand activities at the School that were implemented under the initiative.
Some of the activities include capacity building of teachers, provision of learning grants, and the rollout of a mobile school report card, which captured information on student attendance, teacher attendance and resources at the school.
They also undertook a field visit to the Accra High Senior High School STEM Centre to observe efforts of the Ministry in the introduction of STEM courses in government SHSs.
GNA