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27.02.2015 Education

Government to improve higher education

By GNA
Government to improve higher education
27.02.2015 LISTEN

EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE
Accra, Feb 26, GNA - Government has announced that it will embark on a $156 million education improvement programme this year to develop the infrastructure and quality of secondary schools.

The Secondary Education Improvement Programme will benefit 125 secondary schools and would also see the provision of scholarships for 10,400 needy students, capacity building of 6,500 mathematics, science, information and communications technology (ICT) teachers and leadership training for secondary school heads.

This was made known by President John Dramani Mahama in his State of the Nation Address on Thursday.

The President said improvements in teaching and learning had yielded a 10 per cent enrolment increase in secondary education between 2013 and 2014, while enrolment into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education increased by 7.1 per cent, 3.4 per cent and 63.8 per cent respectively in the 2013/2014 academic year.

The President said his drive to improve education was intensified by analysis of the results of the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) which showed that the best performance in the exam was attained in 2012 when 31.19 per cent of the students attained grades A1 to C6.

The President also made known that works on the Sokode Lokoe University of Health and Allied Sciences and the University of Energy and Natural Resources were ongoing while a parliamentary bill had also been presented for the establishment of a University for Environment and Sustainable Development in the Eastern Region.

He added that there were also prospects for converting the Wa and Navrongo campuses of the University of Development Studies, into autonomous universities to push the agenda of establishing public universities in every region.

The President said the budgetary allocation of about GH₵ 6.7 billion which had been approved by parliament would be adequate for the projects.

GNA

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