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10,000 schools to benefit from $219m education improvement projects
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has launched the Ghana Accountability and Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP) to help improve the standards and quality of education in low-performing basic schools across the country.
The project, which was launched at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday with the support of the World Bank, is expected to improve the quality of education in 10,000 schools across the country.
Under GALOP, government will invest US$219 million on a comprehensive set of interventions that addresses constraints from teaching to learning in basic schools.
President Akufo-Addo said the project will ensure that teachers in the early grades are given the necessary support to continue learning in line with the new curriculum introduced by the government.
In addition, he said schools will receive teaching and learning materials, heads of schools will be trained on improved school management techniques, and supervision and assessment systems will be strengthened.
“Ten thousand low-performing basic schools, across the country, have already been selected to benefit from the Project, and I am confident that the implementation of GALOP would help drive standards and quality in these schools,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo observed that in spite of the numerous steps taken by his administration over the last three and half years to improve basic education in the country, a lot more work needs to be done.
“We must address the problem of low learning outcomes that reflect in the performance of some of our children at the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA), and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE),” he said
The President said government has implemented significant reforms to improve access, quality of education, infrastructure, teacher training and professionalisation, curriculum development, school inspection, and technical and vocational education and training.
Through the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, President Akufo-Addo noted that 1.2 million Ghanaian children, the largest in the history of the country, are now in the country’s education ecosystem, 400,000 of whom would otherwise have been excluded.
“Over the last three and a half years, we have done a significant amount of work to boost education at the primary school level. In September 2017, we introduced a new curriculum for kindergarten to primary `school that reflects the realities of our aspirations. Under this administration, we have increased the capitation grant by 120 per cent from GH¢4.50 per child to GH¢10.00. We continue to invest in infrastructure, and in the supply of teaching and learning materials for our children,” he said.
The Minister of Education, Mathew Opoku Prempeh, said the government considers education as the shortest distance to migrate from poverty to prosperity and will be made available to all.
“As a country, we have had several challenges with quality learning outcomes reflecting in our poor performance in our early grade reading assessment, early grade mathematics assessment, programme for international students assessment and, with the West Africa Students Examinations, the results have not been very good,” he said.
The Education Minister said the government has introduced several measures to reform and improve the quality of education and indicated the GALOP will be one of the largest investments in the basic school sector to further help improve the quality of education.
Source: Ghanaian Times
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
