The government is to invest $219 million on a comprehensive set of interventions that will address constraints on teaching and learning at the country’s basic education level under the Ghana Accountability and Learning Outcomes Project, (GALOP).
The GALOP, which is a collaboration between the Government of Ghana and the World Bank is to support interventions at the country’s basic school levels to ensure full harmonisation, of learning interventions at selected basic schools which have the greatest challenges in terms of learning outcomes and resourcing.
Among others, GALOP will also progressively support an enhanced focus on strengthening Kindergarten to promote school readiness to learning and improved future learning outcomes.
Speaking at the formal launch of the GALOP at the Jubilee House on Thursday, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said education at the junior part of the basic school level—from Kindergarten to junior high school—forms the building blocks of any education system.
The President said in spite of the numerous steps the government had taken to improve basic level education in the country, a lot more work needs to be done.
He said the government was determined to address the problems, especially, those of low learning outcomes that reflected in the performance of some children at the Early Grade Reading Assessment(EGRA), Early Grade Mathematic Assessment (EGMA), and the Basic Education and Certificate Examination (BECE).
“That is why the government is pleased to be collaborating with the World bank in introducing Ghana Accountability and Learning Outcomes Project, (GALOP)”, the President stated.
President Akufo-Addo said, to achieve the desired improvement and learning outcomes of the Ghanaian child to acquire competence in literacy, numeracy and critical thinking skills, the government was determined to ensure that, all school going children were taught by professional teachers in every part of the country.
To do this, the President said the government would remain focused on ensuring equitable teacher deployment and strengthen accountability regimes in the country.
The President said education is the equaliser of opportunities and the most effective way of changing the fortunes of the country, “thereby helping us join the group of developed nations.”
As a result, prior to his assumption of office as President of the Republic, in January 2017, “I made no secret of my intentions of putting education at the heart of my vision for the growth, development and transformation of Ghana”.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
