Yesterday in Tamale, the Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, and Grace Lang, Deputy Mission Director for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), announced a new five-year, $14.39 million initiative to promote low-cost private schools in northern Ghana. The project, which marks USAID's entry into Ghana's private school market, aims to improve access to 213 high-quality, low-cost private schools in the northern part of the country.
“A quality education should not depend on where you live. We want every child to have access to a quality education. The $14 million activity we are launching today will support low-cost private schools that serve rural and disadvantaged communities. The activity will support those schools to improve education access, quality, and learning outcomes for students, and increase private sector investments in northern Ghana” USAID Deputy Mission Director, Ms Lang said.
She noted that one of the reasons the program would provide training and certification for such teachers was because, according to a USAID survey, more than 70% of private school teachers in Northern Ghana held a senior secondary school diploma or had graduated from high school.
With the help of a thorough investment strategy, this new USAID project will raise school leadership ability and quality, promote teacher certification and retention, and support academic improvement. Additionally, the activity will provide chosen low-cost private schools serving underprivileged communities in northern Ghana with inexpensive financing choices. The initiative is dedicated at helping people in the northern region of the country where resources are scarcest. Additionally, the action will improve the Ministry of Education's capacity to oversee private schools and their cooperation with other Ministry of Education departments.
By the end of five years, USAID hopes the project will improve the business skills of more than 200 school administrators, provide 400 teacher mentors with the tools they need to teach another 2,000 teachers the best classroom practices, and certify 1,200 teachers with no training. Opportunity International, a partner in implementing USAID, will also establish a School Capacity Building Fund (SCBF) to help the selected schools enhance operations and increase creditworthiness through catalytic awards.
The program's implementation was praised by the education minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, who claimed that it would guarantee an equitable educational setting throughout the nation.
While the Ghanaian government was spending and investing extensively in public education, he claimed that USAID had also entered the picture to encourage low-cost private schools. We are thankful to USAID for helping us create a more equal educational environment.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
