THE Government has committed $273 million to strengthen foundational learning through play-based methods and the use of local languages as key drivers of educational success in basic education, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu has revealed.
He explained that $156 million out of the amount had been allocated by government to close funding gaps in education, while an additional $117 million grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) through the World Bank would be dedicated to supporting foundational learning.
Mr Iddrisu announced this during a visit to the Ghana Education Outcomes Project (GEOP) Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) class in Accra.
The Minister explained that there is a strong link between local language and foundational learning and called for greater investment in Ghanaian languages, describing them as central to improving learning outcome and creating a vital nexus for strengthening foundational education.
“This signifies the link between local language and foundational learning and we must invest in local Ghanaian languages. It also highlights the nexus between using local languages and improving foundational learning outcomes.”
According to the Minister, these investments ensure that every child could benefit from quality basic education, as guaranteed under Ghana’s Constitution.
“We must invest more in basic foundational learning so that children can get it right at a younger age and grow with it,” Mr Iddrisu stated.
The United Kingdom’s Minister for Development, Baroness Chapman, expressed her pleasure in partnering with the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders to expand education in local languages across the country.
She noted that the initiative would help children return to school, and emphasized that lasting progress depended on strong partnerships, system strengthening, and supporting Ghana to lead its own educational agenda.
The GEOP project aims to reintegrate 70,000 out of school children (OOSC) into classrooms and improve learning outcomes in over 600 Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP) schools across 29 districts in the country.
As of September 11, 2025, 52,708, learners have completed the ALP in three cycles in the rural lots and integrated into mainstream schools. The project started in 2022 and will end in 2026.
The four-year project received funding from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Organisation (FCDO) grant through the Global Partners for Results-Based Approaches Trust Fund (GPRBA – TF) of $25.5 million with additional counterpart funding of $4.5 million from the government of Ghana.
The programme brought together key stakeholders from government, development partners, and the private sector. The dignitaries included; Robert Taliercio O’brien, World Bank Country Director, British High Commissioner (Designate), Dr Christian Rogg, The Country Director of Plan International, Mr Constant Tchona.
The Greater Accra Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Hajia Katumi Natagmah Attah, Partner – Head of Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare, KPMG, Mr Jonathan Lutterodt, a Representative from Bridges Outcomes Partnership, Jesus Miguel Falcon Perez and the Municipal Director of Education, Madam Judith Amoateng Ennin.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
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