GOVERNMENT TO CONSTRUCT 5 NEW STEM UNIVERSITIES – Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum

Honourable Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum reviewed some policies and reforms in Ghana’s educational sector following the Covid-19 pandemic during a presentation at the 2022 Educational World Forum (EWF) which was held in London from 22^nd to 25^th May, 2022.

Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum in his presentation, highlighted key educational policies from pre-covid era to post-covid era. His presentation addressed questions on how experiences of the past year changed our view of digital equity, infrastructure, and support. Also, how priorities have changed to develop a greater resilience in education for all students.

According to the minister, the pandemic unveiled the struggles and difficulties of students in having access to digital resources to facilitate their learning especially, students in the underserved communities. The pandemic also informed government of these challenges and the need to quickly take up initiatives to bridge the educational gap.

“The pandemic exposed the unequal access and opportunities to digital tools and resources from primary through to tertiary, especially to students in the underserved communities. The pandemic made us fully aware of the fact that, digital divide if not bridged will become a big education divide. It has also highlighted the need for the government to focus more intensely on ICT in education initiatives to help build resilience and improve digital equity”

He said, government has since had a greater sense of quick policy implementation of educational reforms which include; investment in ICT infrastructure in schools, smart classrooms and tablets for students – Positive, increasing investment and capacity in CENDLOS to provide ICT support services to schools, development of Learning Management System (LMS) by NTC and Ghana Library Authority to support teacher education.

In effect, government has implemented some educations reforms to intensify teacher education in ICT through the one-to-one teacher laptop, digitization of curriculum in the basic educational sector. Provision of smart classrooms to enhance digital learning, Virtual High Schools by CENDLOS in senior high schools. Operationalization of the TVET Service to foster harmonization of curriculum, standardization, policy coherence/certification and to include free TVETG, implement Post Tertiary TVET and Establish/Operationalize Open University Ghana in the Tertiary sector.

As government takes keen interest in education, 5 New STEM Universities are currently under construction says, the minister.

The forum was themed, ‘Education: building forward together, stronger, bolder, better’.  This is to address how our education systems have experienced the pandemic and how they are responding.

“Our countries’, our communities’ and our cultures’ positive responses to new and long-term challenges inform our EWF 2022 theme. In our formal sessions and informal discussions, we will draw on what we have learned and how it can be shared. We will examine how we each are finding, or have found, ways to build resilience and well-being for our people and sustainability for our planet. We will learn how education might help us embrace peace, partnership and prosperity and lead to successful economies.”

The forum was graced by Education ministers, non-governmental organizations and international organizations across the globe.