By Samuel Dodoo
Accra, Feb. 16, GNA – The World Education International Strategic Approaches to Girls’ Education (STAGE) Project has ended after five years of its implementation in Ghana.
The STAGE, rolled out under the Girls’ Education Challenge Fund, a United Kingdom (UKAID) funded project, which commenced in 2018 to 2023, targeted highly marginalised girls of both formal and informal learning.
It was launched in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) in 2012.
The core partners were Prolink, Afrikids, PRONET North, Ministry of Education, Complementary Education Agency and Ghana TVET Service, and Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
The others are Ghana Enterprise Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, and the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.
It was aimed at making girls’ education relevant, effective and sustainable, and to bring a holistic approach to their education, while lowering the barriers they face at the individual, community and school levels.
Some key accomplishments include 8,245 girls completing the formal track, while 9,582 benefitted under the non-formal learnings, out of which 1,600 were people with disability.
“Nineteen girls with mild to severe special needs have transitioned into special education schools in Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions,” it said.
It said 90.7 per cent of the formal track girls who completed the nine months accelerated learning programme in their communities recorded improvements and transitioned into formal school as at the end of the academic year in December 2022.
Over 1000 bicycles were distributed as part of the intervention to facilitate movement to and from hard to reach communities, contributing to a relatively high retention rate and school attendance.
Under the non-formal track, 9,548 girls had been trained in over 20 trades, with 94 per cent of the number started their income generating activities, while six per cent had also transitioned to further training.
The STAGE project also trained 444 teacher mentors from 300 schools in 13 districts across the northern regions on the production of reusable sanitary pads, who in turn trained 7,441 of the transitioned girls. Each girl received pad kits for free.
Mrs Susan Adu-Aryee, the Country Director of World Education International, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said she was impressed by the extent of work done during the five years period of the project.
She gave an assurance that the STAGE programme would continue to reflect on the challenges that have not yet been surmounted, adding; “We took up the challenge of working together to reduce the barriers to the education of marginalised and vulnerable girls.”
“I feel extremely proud to inform you that the gains made by STAGE so far overweigh any barriers we are still encountering in our ongoing work.”
Nana Baffour Awuah, a Director of Pre-Tertiary Schools, Ministry of Education, said the campaign for girls’ education had seen improvement in attendance and retention in schools in the country.
He gave the assurance that government would continue to partner civil society organisations to sensitise community members to reduce issues on early child marriage, teenage pregnancy, parental irresponsibility, and gender-based violence.
Madam Michelle Sandall, the Girls Education Challenge Fund Manager, acknowledged the contribution made by the stakeholders towards a holistic education for marginalised girls.
GNA