By Stephen Asante
Accra, Feb. 14, GNA – The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says educational growth remains one of his Administration’s topmost development priorities.
This, he said, was the reason behind the huge investment at all levels of the sector by the Government, saying the agenda was to ensure a secured future for the Ghanaian youth.
“I am in this position as President of the Republic because of education,” he noted, adding that: “Education is the equalizer of opportunity.”
President Nana Akufo-Addo was speaking at the inauguration and handing-over of the Kwabenya Atomic Model Kindergarten (KG), Ghana’s first play-based ICT-empowered KG, at Dome-Kwabenya, in the Ga-East Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
The project, executed by Messrs. BSW International, was funded by the Ghana Education Trust (GET) Fund.
Learning through play has emerged as an important strategy to promote pupil engagement, inclusion and holistic skills development beyond the preschool years.
Policy-makers, researchers and educators have promoted the notion that learning through play is developmentally-appropriate – as it leverages school-age children’s innate curiosity, while easing the more often difficult transition from preschool to school.
The President said the state-of-the-art facility was designed to provide world class early childhood education to children.
He said the Ghanaian youth had the potential to be future leaders of business, industry, and other fields of human endeavour given the necessary educational opportunities.
“Education is the most effective way to change the fortunes of our continent and country and join the group of developed nations and continents,” he stated.
Thus, all types of investment in early childhood education, was critical to the development of the country, President Nana Akufo-Addo said.
According to him, the Government had stepped up efforts to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Four, that is: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
Mr. Divine Y. Ayidzoe, the Acting Chief Director, Ministry of Education, indicated that throughout the world, education was seen as the pivot on which the wheels of development rotated.
He said Information and Communications Technology (ICT) “keeps promoting teaching and learning, and its usage has penetrated our schools, offices and now with us in our homes as we use it in various forms as part of our daily lives.
“It is worth noting that the integration of ICT into the curriculum of every country helps in the promotion of education.” Mr. Ayidzoe said.
GNA