The educational sector in Ghana is witnessing a new paradigm shift aimed at preparing the next generation to be creative and innovative, the Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has noted.
According to the Minister, the era where school children memorised their notes to answer questions during examination only to forget what they learned was over.
At the Accra International Conference Centre in Accra on Tuesday, July 30, 2024 the Minister for Education addressed the nation on the state of education in Ghana.
He told the story of the education sector since 2017, highlighting the achievements chalked, which he said has changed, if not changing the face of education in Ghana, to be at par with the world.
The Minister stated that the investment that the Akufo-Addo government is making in the education sector is benefiting every child in the country, which is the main aim of the administration.
In what he described as “an evidence-based communication, because I know there are some who do not trust what the politicians say much,” the minister chronicled the transformation in the education sector.
Emphasising that the Akufo-Addo government had gone beyond its manifesto, Dr. Adutwum described the success as “a great accomplishment by all standards,” adding that “we want to make sure that this nation’s fortunes change for the better. Great strides have been made.”
However, he acknowledged that the country “may not be where we want it to be, but we are not where we used to be. And that evidence will be shown today.”
The minister’s presentation largely revealed the transformation with regards to access to education, vis–à–vis quality, as well as infrastructure development.
Reflecting on what mostly prevents children from going to school, he mentioned the essence of eliminating the barrier of cost and making education in Ghana free from basic to at least secondary.
He mentioned that the Ghana Education Service has agreed to take on the task of stemming the tide of dropout in schools, by appointing dropout prevention coordinators in all districts of the Ghana Education Service.
While on free education, he also mentioned that the government is putting the right infrastructure and systems in place to ensure that the public schools can be attractive to all while being free.
INFRASTRUCTURE
The Minister for Education, Dr. Osei Adutwum, mentioned and showed pictures of some of the infrastructure development in the education sector undertaken by the Akufo-Addo government across the country.
He debunked claims that the government had abandoned basic schools, by showing pictorial evidence of “new buildings” across the country, including Apewosika primary in the Central Region and Bosomtwe Girls SHS in the Ashanti Region.
“The history of Ghana is replete with examples of various government innovations and interventions and we want to make sure that we continue this stride. At the senior high school level, we have a number of model STEM schools distributed across the country.
“Awaso STEM Senior High School, Accra High School STEM Centre, Kaase STEM High School in the Bono Region, Abomosu, Eastern Region,” the Minister said.
He continued that, “It’s operationalised. It’s a full STEM high school. Awaso is one of the fascinating stories. A new school built in Awaso and look at the environment”, (showed on screen in the auditorium).
“So, imagine sending your children to this school and you are not being asked to pay school fees. That is the Ghana you deserve. That is the Ghana we are creating. A Ghana where teachers, nurses, judges and everyone will send their children to public schools.
“A Ghana where the children of judges and children of labourers will sit in the same classroom and study together and form friendship, that is the kind of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has laid the foundation for.
“That is the Ghana that Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia wants to create. We have begun. And the story is not going to end here. Communities across the country are going to see buildings like this.
“In large towns and small towns, new school facilities will be built. Here you have five-storey buildings or five-storey building with elevator,” he remarked.
STEM
The Minister for Education devoted some time as to why the government had shifted its focus to STEM education in Ghana, as well as the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
He explained that it was the only means the next generation could prepare for the fourth industrial revolution.
According to the minister, the government is investing in STEM and TVET to train the minds of the Ghanaian students to be innovative and problem solvers.
“Your tax, cedis, has been used to your benefit,” he said, while showing pictures of some STEM schools”, and adding that “go and see students doing experiments. This is not about chew, pour, pass, and forget. That era is over. This is about a place where children are innovating.”
RECTIFY
The minister bemoaned the situation where junior high school is placed under basic secondary and announced that the government will rectify that and add it to the secondary education system, “giving us an effective six-year secondary education.
“At the primary level, we are making investments. At the junior high school level, we are making investments. I want to assure Ghanaians that the free senior high school will continue to be implemented the way it should be.”
Meanwhile, the minister made the point that quality has not been compromised. He showed the data comparing 2015 and 2023 to corroborate the claim.
ATTENDANCE
The event witnessed the presence of some dignitaries, including the Deputy Minister for Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour and MP for Assin South; Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, Dr. Prince Hamid Armah; Head of UNESCO; Vice-Chancellors; Chief Director of the Ministry of Education and the clergy.
Others were development partners, the Mastercard Foundation, heads of schools and colleges, parents, teacher unions and the Association of Private Schools.
Some students from selected second-cycle schools across the country attended the event. The schools included Mampong Akuapim SHS for the Deaf, Labone SHS, Bosomtwe Girls STEM School, Opoku Ware SHS, St. Roses, and Abomoso STEM School.
After his presentation, the Ghana Education Parrot presented a citation in recognition of the contributions of the minister to education in Ghana.
