Strengthening foundational learning: Education Minister calls for greater investment in use of local languages
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has called for greater investment in the use of Ghanaian languages, as central to improving learning outcomes and creating a vital nexus for strengthening foundational education in the country.
“This signifies the link between local language and foundational learning, and we must invest in local Ghanaian languages. It also highlights the nexus between using local languages and improving foundational learning outcomes,” he said.
The minister explained that there was a strong link between local language and foundational learning and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening foundational learning through play-based methods and the use of local languages.
Aim of GEOP
At the Ghana Education Outcomes Project (GEOP) Accelerated Learning Programme class in Accra, he said the two served as key drivers of educational success in basic education.
The GEOP aims to reintegrate 70,000 out-of-school children (OOSC) into classrooms and improve learning outcomes in over 600 GALOP schools across 29 districts in the country.
As of September 11, 2025, a total of 52,708, learners have completed the accelerated learning programme (ALP) in three cycles in the rural lots and integrated into mainstream schools.
The project started in 2022 and will end in 2026. The four-year project received funding from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Organisation (FCDO) grant through the Global Partners for Results-Based Approaches Trust Fund (GPRBA - TF) of $25.5 million with additional counterpart funding of $4.5 million from the government of Ghana.
The programme brought together key stakeholders from government, development partners, and the private sector.
Additional funding
Mr Iddrisu announced that the government had been given an additional $156 million to close funding gaps in education, along with $117 million additional grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) through the World Bank, dedicated specifically to support foundational learning.
The Minister said those investments ensured that every child could benefit from quality basic education, as guaranteed under Ghana’s Constitution.
“We must invest more in basic foundational learning, so that children can get it right at a younger age and grow with it,” Mr Iddrisu emphasised.
For her part, the UK Minister for Development, Baroness Chapman, expressed her pleasure in partnering the Government of Ghana and other stakeholders to expand education in local languages across the country.
She noted that the initiative would help children return to school. She emphasised that lasting progress depended on strong partnerships, system strengthening and supporting Ghana to lead its own educational agenda.
Dignitaries
The programme featured several dignitaries, including World Bank Country Director Robert Taliercio O’brien, the British High Commissioner (Designate), Dr Christian Rogg, the Country Director of Plan International, Constant Tchona, and the Greater Accra Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Hajia Katumi Natagmah Attah.
The rest were the Partner - Head of Infrastructure, Government and Health Care of KPMG, Mr Jonathan Lutterodt, a Representative from Bridges Outcomes Partnership, Jesus Miguel Falcon Perez, and the Municipal Director of Education, Judith Amoateng Ennin
