Strategic plan for inclusive education ready – Prof. Yankah

The government has concluded the education strategic plan aimed at creating an inclusive education system for quality education delivery, Professor Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, has disclosed.

He said the document which spans from 2018 to 2030 would increase access to education and infrastructure as well as provide quality and relevant educational opportunities for all Ghanaians.

Professor Yankah said this in a speech read on his behalf at the launch of the 2019 United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report in Accra on Tuesday.

This year’s report which is on the theme “Migration, displacement and education: Building bridges not wall” recommended to governments to address the educational needs of migrants and displaced populations.

Professor Yankah said teacher and education workforce had been improved whilst curriculum development delivery and legal institutional policy for quality education had also been addressed.

“In addition to the Free Senior High School Policy, there is also the introduction of scholarship for low income family as well as reforms in the Colleges of Educations in the country.

“All these are government reforms through the Ministry of Education in transforming the educational system to ensure quality teaching and learning,” he said.

Professor Yankah said UNESCO was also supporting in-service training for science and mathematics teachers in three Colleges of Education under International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa.

The Director of Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana, Professor Joseph Teye, highlighting the findings in the report said the government needed to make sure refugees’ education was interrupted as little as possible.

“Countries with large immigrants and refugee inflows need to capture data on these populations in management information system to plan and budget accordingly and also provide school places or work opportunities for migrants and refugee as the first step to inclusion,” he said.

The Acting United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mrs Sylvia Lopez-Ekra, urged member countries to adopt and include findings of the report in their educational reforms.

BY BERNARD BENGHAN