Ghana Committed To Africa's Educational Development

Ghana's commitment and contribution to Africa's educational development remains unquestioned and government would leave no stone unturned in its bid to resolve the challenges confronting the education sector, Deputy Minister for Education, Science, Youth and Sport, Mrs Angelina Baiden -Amissah said yesterday.
    
Speaking at the opening of Africa Regional International Committee of Education International (EIRAC) meeting in Accra, she contended that despite the challenges such as poor physical facilities and inadequate financial resources to cope with high societal demand for education in most countries, Ghana was poised to deliver quality education for all.  It is on the theme: 'Uniting for Stronger Unions.'
    
The EIRAC membership, mainly teachers and educational workers, comprises representatives from Kenya, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Zimbabwe who offer their input to the activities of Education International (EI), the mother body of the unions.
   
The objectives of EI, among others, are building capacity of member unions to achieve their mission and objectives and empower union leadership to enable them to provide democratic and effective leadership as well as promote quality public-funded education.
    
The Deputy Minister said it was only in unity that Africa could achieve quality education for all, adding that a family divided against itself could not stand alone and make substantial achievements.
   
'We must therefore approach our individual tasks as educators with a common aspiration and a common goal,' she said and added that it was incumbent to search for a viable model of organisation and adequate funding of educational institutions.
    
Mr Ron Weaver, EI Vice President, noted that education was the only key that opened the doors of opportunity for children and called for the empowerment of children to realise their potentials.
    
Africa, he said, had the 'can do spirit' and urged the Africa region to control their own destiny and not allow others to decide for them adding, 'no one can make you feel inferior without your consent'.
    
Miss Irene Adanusah, General Secretary, GNAT, called on government to do more so that teachers who were recruited were retained, adding that, though a lot of resources were channelled to the sector, it was still overwhelmed by so much problem. 
    

She said that it was unfortunate that, 70 million children in Africa were out of school while 80 million adults were illiterate.
Mrs Adanusah added that problems in the sector needed to be addressed to enable Ghana and Africa to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.