We will implement research on education – Minister
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, says government is committed to the implementation of the recommendations of research in education for national growth.
He expressed concern about the several research works kept on the shelves, saying it was time for all to demystify the notion that “Ghana is good at developing policies but poor in implementation.”
The Minister said this at the launch of a research project titled: ” Increasing Access to Quality Education for Rural and Marginalised Children in West Africa-A Comparative Study of Accelerated Education and Girls Focused Programmes in Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.”
The three-year research is being conducted by Associates for Change in Ghana, Dalan Development Consultants in Sierra Leone and Centre for the study of the Economies of Africa in Nigeria, supported by the International Development Research Centre.
The research is a cross country study of Accelerated Education Programmes and girls’ empowerment models that focus on vulnerable children and youth in rural, extreme poverty and fragile environments across West Africa.
Dr Adutwum said accelerated education and girls’ focused programmes had been implemented in the country for over 20 years with focus on addressing the issues of out of school children, especially across deprived rural communities.
These initiatives, he said, had emerged as one of the key innovations for providing education to out-of-school children and addressing rural-urban disparities in education and proven to be effective models addressing the problems.
The Minister stated that evidence from the evaluation of the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) programme implemented in the country from 2013 through 2018, demonstrated positive results across all targets particularly related to learning outcomes and transition.
Out of 248, 556 out-of-school children enrolled in CBE programme, over 90 per cent completed the Accelerated Education Programme and over 93 per cent transitioning into formal school over the five-year period.
He said government commitment to ensuring education for all, had resulted in the passage of the “Complementary Education Agency Bill, 2019” to re-focus the mandate of the former “Non-Formal Education Division” of the Ministry of Education.
The Bill establishes the Agency to provide for educational programmes outside the formal education system in the country and reflects the countless changes that have taken place in the arena of accelerated education programmes.
He assured the research team of government’s continuous support in making sure the project achieved its research and evidence goals to inform policy and other stakeholders.
Ms Kati Csaba, the Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, said quality basic education was a game changer, stressing that Canada would continue to support countries to improve access to education, particularly in hard to reach countries.
Lead representatives of Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, spearheading the project, expressed commitment to the research, hoping the outcomes would stimulate affected countries to adhere to the recommendations to improve education in the continent.
Source: GNA