We've made giant strides in education – Dr Adutwum

The Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has hinted that the various innovations and policies introduced by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government into the nation’s education sector are all geared towards empowering the Ghanaian youth as well as eradicating poverty from the country.

He explained that the massive infrastructure development at all levels of education, the upgrade of Colleges of Education to tertiary and the introduction of the National Education Leadership Institute (NELI) are but a few of the strategic policies and initiatives meant to transform as well as help empower the youth economically.

Speaking at the Accra International Conference Centre on Tuesday when he gave an update on the State of Education in Ghana, Dr Adutwum stated that with the current state of education development in the country, there was no way the nation could not be transformed.

The event organized by the Education Ministry in collaboration with other Agencies attracted academicians, politicians, students, Civil Society Organizations, Faith-Based Organizations and the general public.

Highlights of the event
Some of the key highlights of the event were the detailed explanation of the new bills and policies introduced with the view to improving the education system in the country, the National Education Leadership Institute, the introduction of robotics and Pre-Engineering programmes.

He also threw more light on Nana Akufo Addo’s flagship Free Senior High School policy, the physical transformation of schools throughout the country, and curriculum improvement, including the Standard-Based Curriculum, Secondary Curriculum, and STEM Curriculum, among others.

Evidence-Based Communication
One unique feature worth noting was that as typical of the Minister, he supported his presentation with pictures, short videos, and charts that ignited national discussions on what the government has been doing to train 21st-century graduates for the country.

Another unique scene was how the Minister during the presentation would pause, speak to the pictures and diagrams thrilling the well-packed audience who intermittently applauded him for the massive development in the sector.

Dr Adutwum indicated that the ongoing development in the education sector was a pipeline for transmitting the nation’s development agenda.

“We cannot fight poverty through memorization but through critical thinking hence the introduction of the various interventions to ensure that our students become very assertive and work towards solving societal challenges,” he said.

The Education Minister praised President Akufo-Addo for his vision and passion for the development of the nation through education.

Again, he stated that the President’s legacy for the education sector would forever be remembered by the nation especially for the FSHS policy which has brought massive improvement in access, equity, quality and improved outcomes.