Accra, Feb. 9, GNA- Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, says the Ministry has increased its Gross Tertiary Enrolment ratio from 18.8 per cent in 2022 to 20 per cent in 2021.
He said Government was committed to increasing the ratio from 18.8 per cent to 40 per cent in 2030 towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal four- “to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
Dr Adutwum, who announced this in Accra, said the Government had worked to improve the science to humanities ratio to 60:40, and hopeful the introduction of the one-year pre-engineering programme would further increase the ratio.
The pre-engineering programme was launched after consultations with tertiary institutions to create non-traditional pathways for Arts students with interest in engineering.
The Minister also announced the introduction of “gifted and talented” Education course in Senior High Schools to develop the creative talents, skills and potentials of students and prepare them into the world of work.
The Ministry, he said, had established the National Education Institute to run tailor-made courses in school leadership and management for practising and potential teachers to improve learning outcomes.
That, he explained was necessary because research conducted by the National Teaching Council revealed that 94.5 per cent of headmasters or headmistress in public schools had no formal training in school management.
He said the introduction of the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project, a five-year project with the objective to improve the quality of education in low-performing basic education schools, was being implemented.
The project, which would strengthen education sector equity and accountability in the country, is being implemented in 10,579 public schools across the country, while 70,000 teachers are also being trained in targeted instruction for the delivery of differentiated learning in this year’s academic year.
The Minister said a National Junior High School Transformation Strategy had been established to bridge the gaps in performance between Northern and Southern schools, adding that a stakeholder engagement was scheduled for June, 2022.
He said Government had committed $60 million as seed money for the Skills Development Fund, and that procurement was ongoing for a management firm to oversee the disbursement of the funds, while the call for proposals from private enterprises to access the funds was set for this year.
He said the introduction of the National Standardized Test for all primary four students in the country, which started on December 17, 2021, was to evaluate learning outcomes in English and Mathematics at the primary school level.
The Minister stressed that this years’ timetable for the test would come out early for primary two, four and six, adding that the initiative would create a system to ensure value for money.
GNA