The Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has disclosed that 81 new classrooms are going to be inaugurated across the country in the next two weeks.
According to him, the move forms part of the government’s pragmatic policies to change the face of education in the country.
The Minister announced this in Kumasi on Monday, October 28, 2024 at a forum with the clergy.
The Minister for Education had decried the situation where school children study in dilapidated classrooms in this era.
In order to deal with that situation, he said the government is providing modern classrooms suitable for effective academic work, as part of measures to transform basic education in Ghana.
The Minister for Education, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe, said it was important to change the situation by investing in infrastructure for conducive learning environment to meet the 21st Century.
“We cannot educate 21st Century children in 19th Century buildings and expect 21st Century outcomes,” he told the clergy.
Giving the opening remarks, Dr. Adutwum cited how the Asian Tigers like Singapore and South Korea leveraged education to turnaround their fortunes, saying that without deliberate steps to improve infrastructure in our education system, Ghana will lag behind.
INTERVENTION
The forum provided a platform for the Minister to walk the clergy through the journey of Ghana’s education since 2017, by highlighting policy interventions transforming the sector.
As part of his speech, the Minister showcased several modern classrooms being built across the country to replace outmoded ones that are not fit for purpose.
The architectural designs of the new classroom blocks shown on large screens by the Minister drew thunderous applause from the audience, who were obviously amazed by how beautiful they look.
Beginning his remarks, Dr. Adutwum said he was not there to tell them about projects that are in the pipeline or far advanced, but to present to them evidence of completed projects throughout the country.
AFFILIATE
The Ministry, according to the Education Minister, has adopted a strategy to affiliate under-performing schools to Grade A schools, so they can be mentored by exposing such schools to best practices, underpinning their successes.
He argued that the situation where private individuals are able to build and manage modern schools better than public ones, which are funded with the taxes of the people, should be a wake-up call to transform public schools to deliver quality education to the Ghanaian children.
REFORMS
Dr. Adutwum also spoke about reforms seeking to incorporate critical thinking into curriculum at the basic and senior high school levels, saying that it is the way to go as a country confronted with a plethora of challenges.
He said that the ministry has been engaging the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to set questions on critical thinking for both BECE and WASSCE, adding that students may struggle initially, but it would serve a good purpose by five years.
The Minister said the promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and TVET education is targeted at producing the needed human resources who can compete in the fourth industrial revolution.
