Be innovative, critical thinkers — Dr Adutwum

The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has entreated Ghanaians to be innovative, critical thinkers and proactive problem solvers, saying those are the requirements of the 21st century.

He said education was a potent tool for societal transformation and thus the ministry was committed to supporting initiatives that envisioned the future of every Ghanaian child, irrespective of their socio-economic background to have access to quality education.

Dr Adutwum said this in a speech read on his behalf at the induction of eighth cohort in the Lead for Ghana (LfG), a not-for-profit organisation in the education sector, in Accra.

Initiative

Under the initiative, about 200 young professionals and university graduates have been selected to be trained as teachers to teach in 50 senior high schools to address teacher shortage in rural and underserved communities.

Fellows are also to undertake a two-year training in improving student academic outcomes in Mathematics, Science, English and Information and Communications Technology in rural and underserved communities in the country.

The programme, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, aims to equip fellows with pedagogical skills and content knowledge to bolster their teaching proficiency and to enable them to teach effectively over the two years of Fellowship.

Dr Adutwum said: “As we embark on this ambitious project of posting fellows to SHSs, we aim to elevate our standards of education and provide our students with a competitive edge on the global stage.”

The ceremony was to officially commemorate the acceptance of fellows into two-year fellowship and induction into the LFG alumni network to ensure that all children in Ghana have access to an excellent education by 2050.

The programme was on the theme, "Creative teaching, innovative and collaborative learning."

Mr Adutwum said the ministry was deeply invested in the holistic development and empowerment of the country's youth.

That, he said, would ensure that the country’s education was not known for just discussing curriculum and classrooms, but a powerful means to shape the future of the nation.

He therefore lauded Lead for Ghana for the initiative adding:” Lead For Ghana has been at the forefront of a significant transformation in our educational landscape.

Through your diligent efforts, the initiative has not only helped to address the teacher shortages in our rural and underserved communities but has also introduced a paradigm of passion, dedication and excellence in education.”

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lead for Ghana, Daniel Dotse, said the rationale was to ensure the next generation of leaders in the country understood the challenges within the country’s educational ecosystem.

He said the two-year training would equip young cohorts get into leadership positions across all sectors in the country and make decisions and policies based on experience and not theory.