The Ministry of Education in collaboration with the World Bank has created a $40million education outcome fund to help ensure inclusive education in the country.
The fund which is also opened to other private sector agency participation will make sure that children who did not benefit from the Complimentary Education Agency Programme are mainstreamed into the classroom.
The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum disclosed this at the launch of the increased access to quality education for rural and marginalized children in West Africa project.
The project is being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and would be undertaken by a consortium of three research firm in collaboration with the MoE.
It is aimed at generating knowledge on the effectiveness of innovative accelerated education approaches in increasing access to quality education for girls, children with disabilities and children living in rural and conflict prone areas.
In addition, the project will also aim at establishing how accelerated education programme could better adapted in contexts characterised by extreme poverty, inadequate trained teachers conflicts and growing population.
Speaking at the launch, Dr Adutwum said the country had made great strides in promoting education, however, the government was determined to transform it to play it rightful role in the socioeconomic transformation of the country.
He said “We don’t see education as an end in itself. We see education as a major tool for socioeconomic transformation and all around the world, those who transformed their fortunes looked at education through a different prism and from a different perspective.”
Dr Adutwum noted that marginalised children and out of school children were at the core of everything the government was doing to change the socioeconomic fortunes of the country.
“When we talk about marginalised and rural children like you do, it is not some charitable enterprise trying to make sure children out of school are sent back to school.
It is as a result of that, that Ghana has created the Complimentary Education Agency and their mandate is to make sure that no child is left on the streets,” he emphasised.
He therefore commended the researchers and pledged government’s commitment to implement the findings.
On her part, the Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ms Kati Csaba said the IDRC was a key Institution which focuses on topics on relevant to Canadian priorities.
She said Canada actively sought out knowledge generated from the IDRC’s collaboration to contribute evidence based development.
Ms Csaba explained that even though quality basic education was a game changer but it takes many to facilitate a meaning education for some of the most difficult environment.
By Cliff Ekuful
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