New Education Trust aims to bridge rural-urban school infrastructure gap — COCOBOD

Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has launched a new Education Trust that aims to address disparities in infrastructure between schools in rural cocoa-growing communities and those in urban areas.

The COCOBOD Education Trust was recently inaugurated to replace the long-running Cocoa Scholarship Scheme, which is no longer necessary since the introduction of Free Senior High School education in 2017.

According to a statement from COCOBOD, the new Trust "is aimed at providing resources and infrastructure for basic schools in cocoa-growing communities, and to help bridge the infrastructure gap between schools in deprived areas and those in urban centres."

It stressed that the Trust "is to diversify to better serve evolving educational needs in rural communities, including provision of essential facilities such as classrooms, libraries, teachers bungalows, among others, and ensuring a conducive learning environment for children."

The goal of bridging the rural-urban divide in school infrastructure comes as many basic schools in remote cocoa-farming villages still lack adequate classrooms, washrooms, and other basic resources - hindering educational quality compared to better-resourced schools in cities.

Through the COCOBOD Education Trust, the cocoa regulator aims to direct funds previously used for scholarships into much-needed construction, renovations, and learning materials that can boost rural education standards and opportunities.