Dr. Osei Yaw Adutwum
The transformation of the education sector, with emphasis on equipping students with technological skills and making them comfortable in intercultural and global communication, has earned the plaudits of the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).
According to the MMDCEs, the introduction of 21st century education is giving students the skills they need to succeed in this new world, and helping them grow the confidence to practice those skills.
Speaking at a meeting with the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Adutwum, in Kumasi last Friday, the development agents expressed their solid belief that Ghana’s education is on the path to improvement, citing the level of investment in the sector since 2017.
The MMDCEs praised Dr. Adutwum for encouraging stakeholders to embrace 21st century education as an instrument for accelerated growth.
The commendation came after the minister delivered a comprehensive presentation on the improvements made in education since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took office seven years ago.
The purpose was to inform the MMDCEs, as representatives of the President at the local level, about the government’s achievements in the education sector, so that they could share the success stories to their constituents.
It was also intended to enlighten them about the ministry’s numerous innovative policies aimed at improving Ghana’s education system.
The minister’s presentation focused on investments at all levels of the educational system, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.
Dr. Adutwum used a PowerPoint presentation to lead the MMDCEs through what the ministry has been doing around the country, providing pictorial and audio evidence to keep them up to date on the sector’s paradigm shift.
To demonstrate how learning outcomes under the current administration have greatly improved at both the basic and second cycle levels, the minister presented data and figures that put the NPP far ahead of its predecessors.
He also discussed purposeful policy initiatives aimed at holistically teaching students to be relevant in the global community as the world moves toward the fourth industrial revolution.
The MMDCEs, who were clearly impressed by the tremendous achievements and vision to improve education in the country, praised the Minister of Education and his team for a job well done.
Some of the MMDCEs who talked to the media following the engagement stated that, although being members of the government, they were not privy to much of the information presented by the minister.
They stated that while they are aware of the government’s progress in the education sector, their interaction with the minister has increased their appreciation for the direction Ghana is taking.
“I am overwhelmed by what the minister and his team have been doing at the ministry, having listened to the presentation he made,” Francis Oti Boateng, District Chief Executive for Asante-Akim North, commented.
He added that STEM education is one of the most creative ideas the government has ever implemented in Ghana, and therefore asked Ghanaians to embrace it in order to improve the country’s educational sector.
Eric Tetteh, Municipal Chief Executive for Yilo Krobo, stated that the NPP government’s desire to ‘break the eight’ primarily hinges on the works of the likes of Dr. Adutwum, and that if the party truly intends to achieve that aim, he should be considered for the running mate post.
Later, the Education Minister told the media the engagement was to keep the MMDCEs up to date on the government’s major accomplishments in the education sector so that they can bring them to the attention of people in their jurisdictions, as key actors who deal directly with citizens at the local level.
“As much as we think they know what is going on, it is also important to bring them together and show them what the government has done elsewhere so they appreciate the development beyond their jurisdictions,” Dr. Adutwum explained.
He stated that, in addition to ensuring access and equity for Ghanaian children, the ministry is trying to establish more high-performing schools in order to eliminate the problem in which every parent wants their children to attend schools that they believe are superior to the ones in which they are enrolled.
“We are affiliating new schools with existing high-performing schools, and our goal is to make sure that high-performing schools will be able to mentor the new schools so that in no time, they will also become high-performing schools,” he noted.
By Ernest Kofi Adu