Ghana’s President, Akufo-Addo, has officially launched the Ghana Education Outcome Project (GEOP) at a ceremony in Accra.
The initiative’s primary objective is to enrol 70,000 out-of-school children and enhance learning outcomes in over 600 schools in 29 districts across the country.
The theme of the event, “Getting all children educated through support to schools and communities,” attracted numerous stakeholders in the education sector, including representatives from the World Bank, High Commissioners, Non-Governmental Agencies, Metropolitan/Municipal and District Chief Executives, and others.
During the event, Yaw Osafo Marfo, a Senior Presidential Advisor, read a speech on behalf of the President, where he commended the World Bank for their support towards the country’s development.
He further explained that the Ministry of Finance had signed a financing agreement with the World Bank in June 2020, emphasizing the government’s commitment to providing the best education for its citizens.
The President revealed that the 70,000 children will participate in a robust accelerated learning programme, Complementary Basic Education (CBE), over a period of nine months.
This programme is set to equip the children with basic literacy and numeracy skills. He further noted that the country has made significant strides in the education sector over the years and is confident that the GEOP initiative will enhance education development in Ghana.
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Dr. Scherezad Latif, the Education Practice Manager of the World Bank in charge of West and Central Africa, praised the government, the Ministry of Education, and its Agencies for their ownership of the GEOP initiative. She pledged to work tirelessly to ensure that the project attains its targeted goals for the nation’s educational development.
The Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, welcomed the initiative and expressed optimism that all stakeholders would collaborate to ensure that every Ghanaian child receives education. He acknowledged the efforts of the GEOP Coordinator, Nana Fatima High, towards the project’s implementation, which will significantly enhance educational development in the country.
The GEOP initiative was made possible through a partnership between the Ghanaian government and the Foreign Commonwealth Development Organization (FCDO).
The partnership aims to improve the quality of education in Ghana’s low-performing basic schools and enhance equity and accountability in the education sector. The project is funded by a $25.5 million (£21.2 million) grant from the FCDO through the Global Partnership for Results-Based Approaches Trust Fund (GPRBA-TF) and a $ 4.5 million (£3.7 million) counterpart funding from the Ghanaian government.
