Ashanti Region discusses draft of Education Strategy Plan

Kumasi, April 20, GNA - The Ghana Education Service (GES) has stated that it was committed to eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2015. Mr Joseph Manteaw, Head of Human Resource Management and Development (HRMD) Unit of the GES, who gave the assurance, said it would improve all aspects of the quality of education and ensure that measurable learning outcomes were achieved in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.

He was speaking at the end of a three-day stakeholders' workshop organized by the GES in Kumasi on Friday to discuss a draft Education Strategic Plan (ESP) which covers the period of 2010-2020 and takes cognizance of the Education Act, policies and review reports and documents on the regional and district performance in education delivery.

More than 200 participants including chiefs, parents, assembly members, educationists, religious leaders, senior civil and public servants, social workers and other opinion leaders attended the workshop. Mr Manteaw said by 2015 the GES envisages that all school-going age children, particularly girls would have access to free and compulsory quality education.

The GES, he said, would improve, modernize and extend Information, Communication Technology (ICT), science, technical and vocational education at all levels of education and develop an effective, efficient and properly rewarding teaching service. Mr Manteaw noted that there was a strategic recognition within ESP 2010-2020 to place education closer to the people's daily lives to meet their expectations, provide children with relevant skills and ensure that they received value for money.

Mr Joseph Kwabena Onyinah, Ashanti Regional Director of Education, explained that under the ESP draft, a sub-sector approach has been adopted to reflect the actual structure of the education system to make it clearer to users and beneficial to planners. Oheneba Asampang Boakye II, who represented the Manhyia Palace, said the Asanteman Council has a vision to transform chieftaincy and make it an important instrument in the socio-economic development of the people.

Oheneba Boakye noted that the Asanteman's policy to support the development of education in the country was driven by the passion for human resource development from basic education to the tertiary level. 20 April 09