North records high Free SHS enrolment — Education Minister

THE five regions of the North have embraced the free senior high school (SHS) programme than anywhere else in the country, the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has said.

For instance, he said out of every 100 students who qualified for SHS in the Northern Region, 95 of them enrolled in the schools, adding that the figure was one of the highest in the world.

He said the North East and Savannah regions also recorded 94 per cent each in enrolment into SHS, with the Upper East Region attaining 92 per cent, while the Upper West Region had 89 per cent, the lowest figure in the north.

"But you know, the lowest in the north is higher than those in the southern part of the country," Dr Adutwum said.
He was addressing the 2024 National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) conference in Accra yesterday.

Transformation agenda

Dr Adutwum emphasised the critical role of education in driving national transformation and development, saying it was the reason a number of interventions had been put in place to provide quality education for all.

"If you don't improve education and make it relevant, you cannot change your country," he said.

The minister mentioned the construction of new junior high school infrastructure, the provision of science laboratories in SHSs and the establishment of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) schools across the country as some of the interventions. 

He showed images of state-of-the-art facilities, such as science laboratories and smart classrooms, to demonstrate the government's investment in infrastructure and technology.

Dr Adutwum stressed the importance of collaborative learning, effective communication skills and a skilled workforce to drive economic growth. 

The minister also mentioned innovative approaches to school partnerships, citing successful affiliations between high-performing schools and new institutions, and the need for mentorship and collaboration to raise educational standards.

Dr Adutwum further expressed optimism about the future of education in the country, saying "in the next few years, you are going to see a transformation, and that transformation will have come through education". 

The Executive Director, Transforming Teaching, Education and Learning (T-TEL), an NGO, Robin Todd, said the country’s education system was one of the best on the African continent.

"I have advised Ministers of Education in 11 African countries in sub-Saharan Africa and I can tell you honestly Ghana has a better educational system," he said.

Appeal

The President of NUGS, Daniel Oppong Kyeremeh, appealed to the Ministry of Education to include agriculture in the STEM initiative.

He also urged the government to uncap the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).