President Akufo-Addo has said Government has implemented significant reforms to improve access, quality of education, infrastructure, teacher training and professionalization, curriculum development, school inspection, and technical and vocational education and training since 2017.
Outlining the efforts made by the Government, upon his assumption of office in January 2017, to improve access to education, the President stated that “I made no secret my intention of putting education at the heart of my vision for the growth, development, and transformation of Ghana.”
Launching the Ghana Accountability and Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP), Nana Akufo-Addo said
Through the Free SHS policy, 1.2 million Ghanaian children, the largest in the history of the country, are now in the country’s education ecosystem, four hundred thousand (400,000) of whom would otherwise have been excluded.
Additionally, he added that “over the last three and a half (3½) years, we have done a significant amount of work to boost education at the primary school level. In September 2017, we introduced a new curriculum for kindergarten to primary school that reflects the realities of our aspirations.
Under this administration, we have increased the capitation grant by one hundred and twenty percent (120%), from GH¢4.50 per child to GH¢10.00. We continue to invest in infrastructure, and in the supply of teaching and learning materials for our children.”
On improving the welfare of teachers, President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that Government has restored, since coming into office three and a half years ago, and paid up to date teacher trainee allowances, which were abolished by the previous administration.
In addition to the yearly average increase in salaries of ten percent (10%), over the last three (3) years, Government is, for the first time in our history, paying a professional allowance to teachers.
“We have cleared the arrears, and promotions due teachers have also been affected. At the start of the 2018/19 academic year, all Colleges of Education were upgraded to university colleges. A 4-year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree has been introduced in University Colleges of Education,” he said.
He continued, “This means that, soon, a first degree will be the minimum requirement for teaching at any level of the education system. Further, in September 2018, the Government rolled out the teacher licensure program, aimed at improving professional standards in line with best practices across the globe. The teacher reform program aims to enhance capacity, and improve the quality of teacher training to enable teachers to respond to educational needs.”
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Kofi Atakora
