Six United Nations organisations have commended the government for its commitment to provide quality and inclusive education to children in the country in spite of economic challenges.
They said what was even “more fascinating is that, despite the economic recession, the government is committed to ensuring that key flagship interventions such as the free senior high and technical vocational education and training (TVET) education are maintained and strengthened”.
The six organisations are the UNESCO, UNICEF, UNAIDS, the World Food Programme, UNHCR and the UNFPA.
They said this in a joint statement read by the UNESCO Representative to Ghana, Abdourahamane Diallo, at two separate events to mark this year’s International Day of Education in Accra last Tuesday.
The events were held at the St Thomas Aquinas SHS and the Osu Presbyterian Girls Basic School.
Accompanying the UN officials to interact with the schoolchildren included officials from the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service and the British High Commission.
They were treated to some cultural performances at the Osu Presbyterian Girls Basic Schools.
After the pupils and students were put into different groups to interact with the officials separately, the kindergarten pupils were presented with exercise books, pencils, crayons, erasers and sharpeners.
International Education Day held on January 24 every year is in recognition of the central role education plays in building sustainable and resilient societies as well as in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Mr Diallo said as the world marked the fifth edition of the International Day of Education, the UN family in Ghana was happy to partner the Ministry of Education and its agencies, development partners and other stakeholders in the education sector.
“As most of us here may be aware, January 24 has been declared by the United Nations General Assembly as International Day of Education. This is in recognition of the central role education plays in building sustainable and resilient societies as well as in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.
Mr Diallo said through the agenda, the UN was partnering both state and non-state actors to reimagine education that was fit for purpose and which would lead to the achievement of education goals, especially those enshrined in the SDGs.
“In Ghana, the UN family is happy to be playing a strong role in Ghana’s educational agenda. We appreciate the government’s (particularly the Ministry of Education’s) leadership role and commitment in the provision of quality and inclusive education to all children in the country.
“This year (2023) marks the mid-point since the UN adopted the 2030 Agenda for people, planet and prosperity, with its 17 interlocked goals that will come up for review at the SDG Summit in September,” he said.
He said building on the global momentum generated by the UN Transforming Education Summit (TES) in September 2022, member states were encouraged to ensure strong political mobilisation around education and chart the way to translate commitments and global initiatives into action.
The acting Chief Director of the Ministry of Education, Divine Yaw Andie, advised the children to take advantage of the support of their parents and government to learn.
The Director of Administration for Ghana Education Service, Stephen Kwaku Owusu, reminded the children that education was the only way through which the country could develop and transform.
Source: Graphiconline
