Parliament has approved a credit facility agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group for an amount of three hundred million United States Dollars (US$300,000,000.00) to finance secondary education for transformation, with a focus on access, relevance, and results for jobs projects.
Presenting the report of the Finance Committee to the House, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Isaac Adongo, noted that the facility aims to increase equitable access to secondary education and eliminate the double-track system, and improve the quality and labour-market relevance of secondary and TVET programmes.
The Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, thanked the House for approving the facility to strengthen the country’s education system.
Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu also announced the approval during the Government Accountability Series in Accra on Monday, July 20, describing the facility as a major boost to efforts to address infrastructure deficits in the country’s secondary education sector.
“Indeed, Cabinet has given its approval. Parliament should look at it tomorrow: a $331 million STARR-J Project to expand access to secondary education and improve its quality and relevance in Ghana,” he said.
The minister stated that when Parliament approves the agreement, the money will be allocated to enhance and improve infrastructure in senior high schools to bolster the long-term viability of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy.
Mr. Iddrisu stated that the initiative will fund the building and renovation of classrooms, dormitories, and other essential facilities to alleviate overcrowding in schools and provide the necessary capacity to eradicate the double-track system.
The financing is a component of the Transformative Secondary Education for Access, Results and Relevance for Jobs (STARR-J) Project, aimed at enhancing access to quality secondary education while boosting learning results and ensuring that graduates obtain skills pertinent to the workforce.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
