The minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, says the government is taking steps to transform basic education with the provision of modern classrooms suitable for effective academic work.
He said it is unacceptable for children to study in dilapidated classrooms in this day and age, emphasising the importance of changing the situation by investing in infrastructure for a conducive learning environment.
“We cannot educate 21st-century children in 19th-century buildings and expect 21st-century outcomes,” he told a gathering of the clergy at a forum in Kumasi.
The forum provided a platform for the minister to walk the clergy through the journey of Ghana’s education since 2017 by highlighting policy interventions transforming the sector.
He said we cannot continue to talk about how Asian Tigers like Singapore and South Korea used education to change their fortunes without taking deliberate steps to improve the infrastructure of the education system.
As part of his speech, the minister showcased several modern classrooms being built across the country to replace outmoded ones that are not fit for purpose.
The architectural designs of the new classroom blocks, as shown on large screens by the minister, drew thunderous applause from the audience, who were obviously amazed by how beautiful they looked.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Adutwum said he was not there to tell them about projects that are in the pipeline or far advanced, but to present to them evidence of completed projects throughout the country.
He disclosed that 81 new classrooms are going to be inaugurated across the country in the next two weeks as the government pursues pragmatic policies to change the face of education in the country.
The ministry, according to the Education minister, has adopted a strategy to affiliate underperforming schools with Grade A schools so they can be mentored by exposing such schools to best practices underpinning their successes.
“The situation where private individuals are able to build and manage modern schools better than public ones, which are funded with the taxes of the people, is a wake-up call to transform public schools to deliver quality education to Ghanaian children.”
Dr. Adutwum also spoke about reforms seeking to incorporate critical thinking into the curriculum at the basic and senior high school levels, saying that it is the way to go as a country confronted with a plethora of challenges.
He said the ministry has been engaging the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to set questions on critical thinking for both BECE and WASSCE, adding that students may struggle initially but it would serve a good purpose in five years’ time.
The minister said the promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and TVET education is targeted at producing the needed human resources who can compete in the fourth industrial revolution.
To ensure the implementation of STEM education, the government is building two STEM Colleges of Education at Tepa in the Ashanti Region and Karaga in the Northern Region, Dr. Adutwum disclosed.
He said the NPP government since 2017 has laid a solid foundation for the education sector and requires another term in office to sustain its transformative policies for the benefit of Ghanaians.
The Most Rev. Daniel Yinkah Sarfo, a Retired Bishop of the Kumasi Diocese of the Anglican Church, applauded the minister for leading reforms that are transforming education in Ghana.
He said education remains the bedrock for national development and that any government that prioritizes education needs to be supported to ensure accelerated development.
“The government is investing hugely in the education of our young ones and if it continues this way, the sky will be the limit for our children,” the revered man of God observed.
Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, Founder of Power Chapel Worldwide, where the forum was held, said the presentation by the Minister was revealing and a demonstration of a government determined to take education in the country to another level.
He said that until another party presents superior policy initiatives, Ghanaians must rally behind the government as it strives to revolutionize education through innovative policies.
He charged his fellow clergymen to stand by the truth and what is good for the citizenry as leaders of churches, which are partners in national development.
AM/KA
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