The Ministry of Education has announced plans to integrate affordable private schools into national educational frameworks to improve learning outcomes for children in underserved communities across the country.
Speaking at the African Philanthropy Network (APN) Biennial Assembly in Accra, the Deputy Minister for Education stressed that government support for private education provider initiatives does not diminish public responsibility, but reflects the reality of access demands in peri-urban areas.
“In many peri-urban and underserved communities, affordable private schools are opened because parents need a school nearby.
The Government is investing to increase access, and we will keep doing so, but recognising what these schools carry is simply an honest account of where our children are today,” the Deputy Minister stated.
The Ministry outlined three primary focus areas for the sub-sector: maintaining a single standard of educational quality, ensuring equity for low-income families, and creating formal state partnerships.
Officials reiterated that statutory oversight will aim to raise academic standards without imposing excessive regulatory costs on operators.
“Our direction of travel is from tolerance to partnership. That means bringing these schools into our national data system, our curriculum framework, and our teacher development, so that improvements reach all children,” the Deputy Minister added.
The strategy includes extending state teacher training programs, providing curriculum-aligned learning materials, streamlining registration processes, and collaborating with non-governmental organisations to provide affordable finance for school improvements.
Acknowledging the work of international non-governmental organisations, the Ministry commended the IDP Foundation for its 18-year involvement in local education development alongside Ghanaian institutions.
Addressing development partners and philanthropic bodies present at the assembly, the Deputy Minister urged external donors to align their interventions directly with the government’s Education Strategic Plan, invest in experimental models public budgets cannot readily fund, and share data openly to inform policy decisions.
“The takeaway from this Assembly for all of us should centre on these three A’s: Adopt, Advance, Amplify. Adopt what is working, advance it alongside government inside the national plan, and amplify it so that what began in one community reaches every community,” the Deputy Minister concluded.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana