USAID Hosts Education Minister Opoku-Agyemang For International Literacy Day Activities In United States

Washington, D.C. – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) recently hosted Ghana’s Minister of Education, the Honorable Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, for International Literacy Day activities in Washington, D.C. During the three-day event, Minister Opoku-Agyemang and other dignitaries met with U.S. officials and international representatives to deepen collaboration around improving early grade reading achievement and literacy in Ghana and around the world.

The minister met with Dr. Jill Biden, second lady of the United States; U.S. Congresswoman Nita Lowey; Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack; Associate USAID Administrator Eric Postel; and children’s author Pat Mora. USAID invited Minister Opoku-Agyemang to deliver remarks at the evening reception commemorating the 50^th anniversary of International Literacy Day, which was co-hosted by USAID and the U.S. Library of Congress.

The International Literacy Day celebration brought together top education officials from around the world, including representatives from the Ministries of Education of Haiti, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Kenya, Ivory Coast, and Ghana. Topics discussed included school governance and leadership, improving teacher attendance and effectiveness, reading assessments, community involvement, and the introduction of mother tongue instruction to improve learning outcomes.

Speaking during the event, Dr. Biden stated, “We need energy in the classroom; we need kids to love books.” She praised attendees for their devotion to promoting reading and literacy, concluding, “You’re the ones making a difference.”

"We're pleased that, through USAID's close relationship with the Ministry of Education, we were able to arrange Minister Opoku-Agyemang's participation in this event," said James Dobson, director of the USAID/Ghana Education Office. "Anytime we can share best practices, it is the students and young readers who benefit. And it truly is a collaborative experience. In her remarks, Minister Opoku-Agyemang shared her habit of making unannounced visits to schools, to monitor management, punctuality and attendance. That's a good governance best practice happening here in Ghana that we hope to see replicated by education ministers throughout Africa and the world."

Improving reading skills is a top priority for USAID worldwide. In Ghana, USAID collaborates closely with the Ministry of Education to build schools, improve student assessments, strengthen school management structures, increase access to both textbooks and supplementary readers in schools, and train teachers. Last year, USAID and the Ministry of Education launched the five-year Partnership for Education, which works to improve the quality of education in Ghana, and to improve the reading skills of at least 2.8 million Ghanaian primary school students.